Blood Ran Cold
by Anne Tutusuvich
Summary: So many things could've ended up differently in Aliyah. Michael could've lived, Tony could've died in the fight, Ziva could've killed Tony and swore revenge on all of Team Gibbs in a fit of rage. This is about the last one. What if Ziva killed Tony? NOT for Ziva or TIVA fans. Introduces new character: Alice Marie Foster. WARNING: Major character death. Now COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Blood Ran Cold

Authors note:

1) Thank you for deciding to read this fanfic. I'm trying to become an author, so any review, positive or negative, is very much appreciated. No author is perfect, especially new ones, so any constructive criticism would be great, but if I did something unique or that you really like, please let me know so I can repeat that strategy in the future.

2) IMPORTANT: The next fanfic is the start of a very long series, in fact this is the last fanfic planned that's not part of the series. I'm introducing a new character in this one. Her name is Allison Marie Foster, the Kate/Ziva/Bishop of my series, and a love interest for Tony. This fanfic, however, does NOT contribute to the future series.

3) No, I was NOT on Ziva's side in these episodes. I couldn't stand the Ziva character for quit a while. Therefore, this fanfic is NOT for TIVA or Ziva fans.

4) Enjoy! 3

Ziva's POV

Tel Aviv, Isreal Right Outside the Mossad Building

I know that I'm being followed. I think that Tony knows that I know, too. Before confronting Tony, I need to gather my thoughts.

After Jenny died, I was lost. I couldn't look at Tony the same. Sure I could've saved Jen without help. I've done it before, but he held me back and that cost Jenny her life. After leaving for Mossad, I found comfort in Michael Rivkin. He had lost friends in the line of duty, too. Mentors. Sure, Tony is in pain over Jenny too, but he didn't hurt as much as I was.

I know that its pathetic to compare pain, but after Tony took matters into his own hands and killed Michael, he acted like he didn't realize how happy Michael made me. Tony acted like he knew what's best for me, but he was dead wrong. Selfish, too.

Now that I know that I have no love for Tony anymore, I instantly realize that I'm ready. I don't care what I SHOULD do. I will follow my instincts, and as cheesy as it sounds, my heart. Tony just better hope, for his sake, that I feel sympathetic for cold blooded murderers today.

I walk over to Abba's building and stare at the glass doors until the face of my enemy appeared. I sigh, then turn.

Tony's face has a mixed expression. He looks guilty, angry, and his face is drenched with despair.

"I had no choice." Tony defends.

I scoff.

"That's a lie."

He didn't have to kill Michael. Michael did nothing wrong. I know that evidence says that Michael murdered people, but I can't bring myself to believe that. Apparently everyone, including Tony, thinks that I'm extremely gullible or something.

"Why would I lie to you, Ziva?"

Uh-huh yeah, yeah he NEVER lied to me.

"To save your worthless ass."

It's impossible to miss the look of pure desperation, sorrow, and agony in his eyes.

"From who? Vance? Mossad?"

Uh, I don't know. Abba? No, he stood up to him. Huh.

"You jeopardized your entire career and for what?" I ask, not liking how he turned this around.

"For you. He was playing you, Ziva"

My eyes widen. I'm not surprised because of his caring, but I'm surprised by his extreme incompetence.

"And you felt that it was your job to protect me?"

You're not exactly Black Widow, Tony.

"I did what I had to do."

I can't believe that Tony thinks that I'm defenseless. That I'm soft. This wasn't his fight. It was mine. When he butted in, Tony killed the man I love. His lack of respect and common sense is getting people killed. People that I love.

"You killed him."

"If I hadn't, you'd be having this conversation with him, but maybe that's the way you'd prefer it?"

Absolutely.

"Perhaps I would!"

At this point, all I feel is pure anger and hatred towards Tony. Any sympathy, respect, and love vanished. Now, the fact that he's even alive is a mistake.

"Okay, why don't you just get this out? You wanna take a punch? Take a swing?"

Yes please.

I guess he read my mind.

"Get it outta your system! Go ahead, do it!"

I am shaking with rage. What did I use to see in Tony? Why the class clown? The screw up? The man with the rich daddy that's use to having his life handed to him?

He's selfish, naïve, and unbearably idiotic. What was the competition? Between a low life or and funny healer, the question of who is better has an obvious answer.

"Be careful, Tony. Because much like Michael I only need one."

All of the agony on Tony's face brings so much joy to my sole that has recently made my blood run cold.

"Then that's what you're really angry about, isn't it? That's what's bothering you. It's not that he's dead. It's that your Mossad boyfriend got his ass kicked by a chump like me."

At this point, I'm practically growling with anger. So much rage, loss, and despair gives you horrible thoughts, and the only thoughts going on in my head are how I'm going to behead Tony.

"You took advantage of him."

With that, realization, acceptance, and pure agony becomes perfectly clear on Tony's face. He realizes that I will not date him, that I do not love him, and that he'd better get away.

"He attacked me. What was I supposed t-"

Then I kick Tony's feet out from under him, savoring the bone-crunching sound of his radius being re damaged.

"You saw a glass table. You pushed him back. You dropped him on it. He was impaled in the side by a shard of glass. Bloody. Gasping for air."

"I guess you read my report."

Not liking the interruption, I continue.

"I memorized it! You could've left it at that. You could've walked away, but no, you let him up! You put four in his chest!"

Then I put a gun on Tony's chest. The sight just looks right. Why didn't I put my gun on his chest months ago?

"You weren't there."

"You could've put one in his leg!"

"You. Weren't. There."

I realize something. If I was there, if I'd protected Michael, he'd be alive. This isn't just Tony's fault. This is mine, too. If I was as loyal to Michael as he was to me, he'd be okay, and Tony would have four bullet holes in his chest. Agony strikes me as I realize that I was involved in Michael's death, and I just hope that I'll also be involved in Tony's.

"But I should've been!"

At this moment, it is clear. Two rivals, two key parts in the lethal love triangle, are dead or dead to me. Tony, the selfish, idiotic, pervy, juvenile, and boneheaded clown is alive while Michael, the sweet, smart, funny, and caring healer, is dead. Killed by the class clown. The one who should be alive is dead, and the one who's dead should be alive.

I'm going to fix the first part.

Tony's POV

Tel Aviv, Isreal. Right outside the Mossad Building, on the ground

Why does she hate me? What'd I do? Didn't she see the pain in my eyes when she saw Michael and I on the floor? Doesn't she know that my radius is fractured? I could've just walked in, shot Michael, then walked out. Then and only then would I deserve this. I didn't want to hurt him or Ziva. I love Ziva. Guess she just doesn't love me.

I've helped her, healed her, made her laugh, and guided her, and this is how she repays me.

My mind drifts off to another women. I knew her during high school. I loved her and she loved me, but she was dating someone else. A rock musician named Nick McArthy. He moved to California right after finishing high school.. He asked her to come with him. She had to choose between the two loves of her life: me and Nick. In the end, she wanted to choose me. Deep down, I wanted her to choose me, but I convinced her to go with Nick. Nick could help her so much more. He could give her the life that she deserved, and that was all that I wanted for her.

Her names was Allison Marie Foster, and I loved her with all my heart.

I called her Ali.

She was there for me when my mom died. We were always there for each other. We healed each others wounds constantly.

Her mother and her baby sister both died when she was a kid, and I was there. Dad abused and neglected me, and Ali was there.

If I'd kept in touch with her, she'd be here.

She is not here, though. Because of that, it looks like I'm going to die here on the cold concrete alone. I always keep a picture of her in my front left pocket, and if anything happens to me, that picture will be my comfort.

I love Alice, and Ziva loved Michael. If only those relationships worked out. Looks like one person in each relationship will be dead.

Michael and Ziva loved each other, and if I could go back in time, Michael would be alive, and I would find Alice, and hold on to her and never let her go.

"You loved him." I state.

Three emotions appear on Ziva's face in order.

1) Pondering. She is seriously considering something.

2) Realization. She decided on a course of action.

3) Homicidle. She gives me that look that she gives each of her victims.

I realize then that she wants to kill me.

"Yes, I did, DiNozzo."

Then she pulls the trigger and walk off, leaving me to die.

Gibbs's POV

Tel Aviv, Israel Right outside the Mossad Building

While Looking for Tony and Ziva, I hear a gunshot. Instinctively, I draw my weapon. When I arrive at the scene, I am appalled to say the least.

Tony is caked in his blood, with a bullet hole in his chest. There is blood everywhere. So much blood. He is alive and muttering something to a picture.

I run over, and I see him weakly smile.

"Boss?" Tony mumbles.

I can barely hold back the tears as I stare at my friends mangled body.

Tony is a great friend, and I can't lose him. He's my son, and I never imagined anything like this ever happening. Now that it did, I just doesn't seem true.

Sadly it is true. This isn't Hollywood acting. This isn't TV. This is real life, and I just can't except the agonizing fact that my son is dying.

"Tony, you'll be okay, just please stay with me." I beg.

I called 911 the moment I heard the gunshot, and the ambulance should be here any minute.

Tony hands me the picture. Behind the blood is a beautiful teenaged girl and a very handsome teenage boy. They looked so happy together. I turn it over, and it says:

Tony and Alice February 14th, 1986. Valentine's Day Party.

The girl is on the left with her arm over the boy, and the boy is on the right with his arm over the girl. The girl has her long hair braided down the side, and she looks a little younger than the boy. 2 years, maybe? They look like they were laughing. It is one of the most joyful photos I'd ever seen.

"Her name is Allison Marie Foster. Maybe McArthy. Please… please tell her that I love her. That's her and I on the… last Valentines Day we spent together. I… miss her and I want her to know that I love and miss her."

Suddenly, the sirens of an ambulance blurred Tony's voice.

"You can tell her yourself, Tony."

With that, he smiles and nods. I hold his hand as he passes out.

Authors Note: Yes, that's the end of this chapter. Mwahahahaha. Cliff hanger. I assure you that this fanfic is far from over and the next chapter will be up momentarily.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Blood Ran Cold NCIS Fanfic**_

 _ **Authors note:**_

 _ **1) Thank you for the, amusing reviews. Am I the only one very surprised that no one else made a fanfic like this? I looked up stuff like this for hours, and no one wrote stuff like this. All fanfics about any different possibilities were about Tony being left behind. Do people love Ziva and TIVA that much? Jeez the show's a crime show not a romantic dramatic soap opera. Tony killed Ziva's boyfriend and this is how they stayed together, coming up next of the TIVA Show!**_

 _ **2) This will be the emotional people find out/hospital/ Tony's fate is revealed chapter, which will be very rare in this LONG fanfic. I'm not very good with scenes like this, so just bare with me.**_

 _ **3) Anyway, please enjoy, comment, ya know, stuff like that 3**_

 ** _Ziva's POV_**

 ** _Tel Aviv, Isreal Somewhere near the Mossad Building_**

When Gibbs found Tony's body, I was shocked at the interaction. There's another person? Allison? Is it pathetic that I want to kill her, too, just because she made him happy?

Probably.

Everyone that Tony loved, I want to kill. People who made him happy, I want them dead. What right does he have to be happy if he took my source of happiness away? Tim, Abby, and especially Gibbs and Alice, all provided Tony so much undeserved happiness.

With the blood caked on my body, the red liquid still warm, I realized how affective and soothing revenge is. Revenge is like a medicine. Therapy, even. Revenge feels good, and I want it. Starting with everyone at NCIS.

 ** _Gibbs's POV_**

 ** _Tel Aviv, Isreal Right Outside the Mossad Building_**

A huge sense of loss and pain hit me. As I watched the paramedics work on Tony and stuff him in the back of the ambulance with equipment piling on him by the minute, I was overwhelmed. Who could've done this? Why did they do it? Was it Mossad? Ziva's family? The problem with this happening in Israel is that everyone wants revenge, so I can't assume anything. This'll take extensive research, and it will be agonizing.

The paramedics said that I couldn't come because it was too crowded. They also said that he was going to surgery, so there was really no need to agonize myself on a hospital chair for hours waiting for news. Every time doctors and nurses would rush into rooms, every time a heart rate monitors would flatline, I would jump to conclusions, and when the doctor would finally inform me, I'd be to mentally exhausted to absorb the vital information.

Nope, not doin it. I've got work to do.

First things first, I've gotta tell Abby. She'd get the news out fast.

I dialed her phone number, and she picked up on the second ring.

"Forensic Specialist Abby Sciuto. How can I help?" Abby greeted.

"Abs,".

"Gibbs! How's it goin in the beautiful Israel?"

"Not good Abs."

She went silent.

"Gibbs, what's wrong?

"I need you to do sometching for me-"

"No, Gibbs! You tell me right now what's going o-"

She stopped.

"Who, Gibbs? Who's hurt? I know what that allowing me to ramble means. It means that something's seriously wrong, and I mean like, puppy got ran over wrong. Stop letting me ramble! It's freaking me out! Who's hurt?! Tim? Ziva? Tony?"

She heard me sigh at Tony.

"Tony?! What happened to Tony? He's like, the glue! Without him, we'd collapse, and he's gotta be dying to change at all, and I haven't heard one movie quote in he background, and I've been paying very close attention to the background, searching for Tony's voice. Where is he, Gibbs?! Stop letting me ramble!"

"He was shot in the chest, Abby. We don't know if he's going to make it, but they're taking him to a hospital now. I need you to tell everyone and track someone down for me. Her name is Allison Marie Foster, and if that doesn't give any results, look up Allison Marie McArthy. Give me her address, phone number, everything you can find."

No response.

"Abs?"

"Is he going to be okay, Gibbs?"

I sighed.

"I don't know, Abs. Please just tell everyone."

"Okay, but I'm coming afterwards."

"No, Abby. When we hear about Tony, Ziver and I will collect evidence then come over. There's no use in coming. You and McGee hold down the fort there. Without you, Duck will storytell Palmer to death."

"Okay. Please tell me if anything happens, Gibbs."

"OK." Then I hung up without waiting for a reply.

 _ **Tim's POV**_

 ** _Washington D.C NCIS Headquarters_**

"No, Sara. No. Yes, yes I promise that I won't make a character in Deep Six act like you. No, Kara will be nothing like you." I looked up to see Abby in her dark clothes with mascara running down her face,

"Sars, I've gotta go." I hung up.

"Abs, what's wrong?"

"Tim,"

"Abs?"

Abby looked very dazed, something rare for her.

"Tony got shot, Tim. He may not make it."

My eyes widened. She embraced me in one of her deadly bear hugs, which I welcomed and appreciated.

"Oh, Tim, please. Please tell me he's going to be okay."

I sighed.

"I don't know, Abs."

In that warm embrace, realization hit me. Tony is my brother. I don't care what DNA says. I don't care what's legally true. HE IS MY BROTHER no matter what anybody says. I can't lose my brother. No way. My life would crash and burn, and I'd never pick up the pieces. He's not a screw up. He's more than a class clown. He's the glue.

I just wish he knew that.

Wait a minute! He didn't know.

I broke down when I realized who shot Tony. The attacker is a person I love. Someone I trust. Someone who teases me. Someone who couldn't accept agony. Someone who had trouble accepting Tony because of accidents and misjudgment made on their own part.

The shooter is Tony himself.

That thought brought on so much MORE pain. I always thought of suicidal people to be selfish. Before now, I felt that they never realized that the same pain that they felt would curse so many more people.

Now that someone I know and love attempted it, I realize the sad truth.

They feel so lost, so helpless, because they can't accept themselves for who they are, that they just can't think straight. Unwillingly, the only thought that can go through their head is the extreme amount of pain that is attacking them. The pain that's gripping them painfully and just won't let go. It's a poison. A poison that is injected by someone else and worsened by the victim. When they try to cure it, or in this case be more accepted, it just strengthens the poison when their attempts fail. Failure is the poisons main ingredient.

This incident with Rivkin added to much failure for Tony to take, and he ended it all as a result.

While sobbing into Abby's arms, I began to wonder who else I know is secretly a victim of the poison, and if anyone has recently fallen victim to it after what happened to Tony.

 ** _Ziva's POV_**

 ** _Tel Aviv, Isreal Hospital_**

I was getting very very uneasy. Gibbs is just staring off into space, and I'm shuffling restlessly in my chair. I'm afraid that any move will bring him back to a Earth, he'll talk to me, I'll slip, and I'll get arrested.

Deciding to go for a walk, I jumped up and exit, allowing my mind to continue good cop, bad copping me.

Why is everyone so affected? This hurt Tony, but when Michael was hurt, no one was there to comfort me. What's wrong with me? Why do they hate me? I hate that. I hate how when someone clearly hates you, instead of manning up and telling you, they drop little hints here and there. Just tell me, "I don't like you.", and that'll save everyone so much agony. I've picked up on the hints, but I just can't leave without being firmly thrown out. I just wish that if they hate me so much, they'll focus on doing what's best for them instead of what's worse for me, and will just get rid of me. This is a cruel way to foreshadow your true opinion. How are they going to truly lay out in me? Who are they going to kill?

I just don't feel accepted, and the way I take out my pain is to transfer it to other. Usually, if I have mental pain, I give them an equal amount of physical pain, and if I'm having physical pain, I give someone ten times the amount of physical pain I'm being forced to endure. That's my way of curing myself, and whoever can't except that will be stuck with Sally Sunshine, and I have no problem with that. Certain haters just better watch their backs.

Particularly my "friends" at NCIS.

After about half an hour, my phone rang.

"David." I greeted.

"Ziva, we lost Tony on the table. He didn't make it." Gibbs half chocked, half moaned.

As cruel as it may sound, I smirked.

"Oh, that is terrible. I am so sorry."

So many lies.

So much to do.

Not enough time.

 ** _Authors note: Yes, that's that chapter. Ended up way better than expected. Many thoughts and opinions going on in multiple POVs, and that's why I love 1st person. For me, with 3rd person, you really can't get inside the characters heads, and that's the key element in my stories. Anyways, I am NOT your Language Arts teacher, nor am I anyone's Language Arts teacher, so, yeah , please comment, constructively criticize and all that stuff you amazing viewers do. I can't begin to explain how excited I am every time my phone goes off when I have an email, because it always means that something happened on the fanfic. I can't begin to tell you how much I love getting reviews. Thanks! 3_**


	3. Chapter 3

_**Authors note: Wow, it took a while! Don't worry, thought. I'm back. I haven't abandoned ya! Here's some side notes real quick:**_

 _ **1) Ok, big twist at the end of this chapter! One of the many. This fanfic will be shorter than I originally thought, but it'll still be good, has several more chapters, and has so many exiting moments that soon enough that you'll have problems putting your phone or whatever down.**_

 _ **2) Alice will be introduced! She's ninja-ey like Ziva, but unlike Ziva, she would never hurt the people she cares about.**_

 _ **3) Enjoy! Missed saying that!**_

 **Tim's POV **

**Washington D.C NCIS Squadroom**

Who was your biggest loss? Was it a parent, a friend, a pet, a sibling, an Aunt or Uncle, or someone else? Was it someone that would be a shocker to most? Now, I've lost friends. Family, too. People who could never be replaced. For everyone you lost, there are similar people, but the similar person is not who you lost, and never will be. I want you to expand your mind. Of all the people you love but lost, who was closest to you? Whoever they are, they're your biggest loss, and you will be emotionally scarred for the rest of your life. Dig as deep into your mind as you can when I ask you again, who was your biggest loss?

Mine was Very Special Agent Tony DiNozzo.

Tony was a mentor. He was a friend, and a brother. Some may love him because he was smart or funny, but I loved him because he was nurturing. The women that he's dated loved him for his looks or his personality, but that's just what was on the surface. Deep down, Tony was the most sweet, sensitive, and innocent man that I've ever met. My big brother was the kind of guy that would do anything to help you, and then within two seconds, he would bounce back and bring so much joy to your life again. He was a healer, a counselor, a mentor, a listener, and a brother.

When Gibbs told me that he's gone, my world fell apart. The reason: Tony brought so many positive things to my somewhat dull life, that now my life seems increasingly difficult to continue.

It was difficult until Gibbs explained that Tony was definitely murdered, and did NOT kill himself.

That observation was obvious because of the location and he seemed to have been assaulted because of his re fractured radius. Plus, he clearly wanted to survive when Gibbs saw him.

That brought on more questions than answers.

Who took him down? Who would kill someone as innocent as Tony? The one time, the ONE TIME that he did something for HIMSELF, he died! It's not fair! He was always frowned upon after he helped someone else his own way, but when he tried to save his own life, someone just couldn't grow up and leave him alone. Someone just never could except Tony. Someone just can't see a good person when they see one because they're either a horrible person or so stubborn that they can't look past a few mistakes. He's taken it too far when teasing me, he's messed up on cases, and he's been a completely unlikable buffoon, but I've always loved, accepted, and forgave him.

Who didn't?

Whoever it is better watch their back because I WILL take down the killer of my brother and it WILL NOT be pretty. They've got some explaining to do, but unfortunately for them, I don't listen to murderers, so it doesn't matter what they say. No matter who it is, I am TAKING THEM DOWN, EVEN IF ITS THE LAST THING THAT I EVER DO!

Suddenly, the strength subsided, and I was left with so much sorrow and agony, that only Tony could help me. The problem: Tony can't help me anymore. He's gone. Someone killed him. Why? I have absolutely no idea.

Even though I don't have the strength to move anymore, I know that I've gotta find who killed Tony.

Allowing tears to drop freely regardless of what people think for the first time, I begin my search for Allison Foster. I can't really do anything right now to help the case, but I know that this is what Tony would want.

I've failed Tony by not having his back now, but I will help Tony now.

Even if it kills me.

 **Ziva's POV.**

 **Tel Aviv, Israel. Crime scene/right outside Mossad building.**

While walking to the crime scene with Gibbs, I felt something. No it was NOT guilt. It's, sadness. Remembrance. I remember the conversation Tony and I had. Stuff he said. One thing he said hurt me the most. One of the last things he said cause me so much pain when I realize that I could've avoided everything. It was:

" _You weren't there."_

Why wasn't I? Where was I? If I was ever in pain, or just wanted someone to talk to, Michael was always there. When I wasn't, he died. I betrayed his trust, and for that, I will never forgive myself.

I'm in pain. Why can't anyone see that? Tony this Tony that. It's all I hear. Why is he the favorite? I'm the fighter, Tim is the geek, and Gibbs is the leader. Who is he? The incompetent one who brings nothing to the team is the favorite. Why, you may ask? I'm just as clueless as you. He's been here the longest, you may say. Therefore, Gibbs had the chance to fire Tony a long, long time ago. Why didn't he?

If you think about it, I saved Tony.

Someone else would've killed him, no doubt. Not all women are idiots who fall into his trance with that smile. Someone else would've killed him soon enough by choking him, stabbing him, shooting him somewhere that would make his death take longer like the abdomen, anything. Tony died a semi peaceful death, and it was justified.

He killed the man I love.

Really, I'm a Saint in pain. I rid the world of a murderer humanely. If I killed him in my best interest, he would take several gruesome minutes, and I would watch him just stay there in agony, begging for me to kill him. I would offer no mercy, and I would enjoy the pitiful sounds of his plea.

While visioning the dead mans alternative death, I realized a major setback for me:

Mossad watches this area like a hawk 24/7.

I'm not worried about Mossad knowing, they know it's justified, but NCIS won't be as forgiving. As long as Abba deletes the footage, I'm in the clear for that one.

Suddenly, my strategy falls into place.

Obviously, I've gotta frame someone since suicide was ruled out as the cause of death.

Who?

The person has to care for me, must have been in Tel Aviv, and must have a reputation for doing the unthinkable to help people he cares about.

Who is it?

Gibbs.

It may seem cruel to use his care for me as a way to frame him, probably because it is, but oh well. Not all systems are planned by Mickey Mouse.

So, here's my plan:

1) Bag and tag like normal

2) Have Abba delete the tapes

3) Compromise the evidence to make it look like Gibbs killed Tony, framing him.

4) Live happily ever after as the Senior Field Agent in Tim's team.

I know that is was originally going to kill everyone, but there's really no need. Gibbs allowed Tony to kill Michael, and Tony killed Michael. No need to involve the others. I get my revenge. Problem solved.

"Gibbs, I have an idea." I reported, pointing to the cameras.

Gibbs looked where I was pointing.

"Yeah. Check it out and be careful."

Nodding, I head over to Abba's office.

 **Tim's POV**

 **Washington D.C NCIS Squadroom**

After a very long time of crying and doing work, I finally felt so much accomplishment that I could practically hear Tony say,

"See, I told you. With just a little hard work, you'll be fine, McGlum."

Smiling, I stared at my computer screen, now filled with information about one Allison Marie McArthy.

Her background is very sad.

She has a deceased mother, arrested father, brother on the run, living younger sister, and deceased youngest sister.

Her mother died in a car crash when Alice was 7, and when Alice was 11, her father and brother beat her youngest sister, Shelby to death because she had a disorder.

Tony had a lot to help her with, but he obviously succeed. Alice's Facebook page was loaded with information on how amazing Tony was from when she was 15 to 19. Ages 18 to 19 where about how much she missed Tony.

After spotting her contact information, I dialed her number on my phone, feeling very impressed by my extreme ability.

 **Ziva's POV**

 **Tel Aviv, Israel Mossad Building**

I knocked on Abba's door.

"Come in."

I entered.

Apa looked up.

"Ziva!"

He walked over and kissed me.

"When did you start wearing so much makeup?"

I rolled my eyes.

"Abba, I need to talk about-"

"I know. I saw the footage. You were very brave, and I am very proud. So would Tali and Ima."

I smiled.

"Thank you, Abba. I just need you to-"

"Erase the footage. I know. I'll be erasing the best movie I'd ever seen, but it's worth my little girl's freedom."

"Thank you. Now, I've got to get back to Gibbs now, Abba. Shalom."

"Shalom, Ziva."

 **Alice's POV.**

 **Washington D.C NCIS Conference Room**

As an FBI agent, I've lost people. I've lost my friend, Natalie, and I've lost my cousin, Shawn. However, my newest loss is the most significant, even if I haven't seen the person for 20 years.

Tone's death is the hardest thing that I've ever gone through, and the killer WILL be buried six feet under, alive.

The killer will die a slow death, and I will be there as they die, laughing and clapping. No, I'm not usually like this, but this is just the hardest thing that I've ever gone through.

Why? Why would anyone hurt Tone?

"Who did this, Tim?" I repeat verbally.

Tim sighed.

"I don't know, Ally. I'm very sorry for your loss."

"Thank you, Tim, but right now I don't need condolences. I need answers. I wanna know who killed Tony."

"So do I, Alice. I miss him so much. He was like a big brother."

I nodded.

"Tone was like a big brother to me, too. He was always there for me. Nothing I wanted was stupid in his eyes, and he supported me one hundred percent with every little thing I did. If I wanted to go skydiving, he'd strap on a chute and stick by me the whole time. He was just, yah know, there. Anything I needed him to do, he was there. He was the best big brother I could ever ask for."

Shaking my head, I added,

"Leaving him alone was the biggest mistake I ever made, and I'll regret it for the rest of my life. The rest of my life."

Refusing to let the tears fall, I quickly shook my head.

"Enough about me. What'd he do for you?"

He sighed and sat down on the seat next to me.

"Uh, the same, mostly. Only for me, he kinda, shaped me into who I am more."

I nodded.

"You know, I would never leave him like you did. You hurt him. He might actually be alive now if you weren't to selfish to stay with the poor kid who actually cared for you."

Finally letting the tears fall, I processed the information. It's true. If I'd stayed, Tone wouldn't have killed that Ziva chicks boyfriend so he could have the women that he loved. I'd be the women that he loved, and Ziva, Michael, Tony, and I would all be with who we truly loved.

If only I'd stayed.

"It's not like that, Tim. Do you really think that I didn't lay awake at night crying myself to sleep because of how much I missed him? Do you think I just shut him out? Nick's the one who didn't want Tony there. I wanted Tony, my big brother, to walk me down the isle, but Nick said no! I've thought about Tony every single night. Nick filed for divorce, and I'm glad about that. I was going to track Tony down and see if he wanted to pick our relationship up where we left off, but I can't now, because of some killer! I want them! I want them to feel the same pain that they caused Tony. I want to rip them apart limp from limb, and drown them in acid. That and the pain over losing Tony is all I thought about as I sat there and sobbed as I drove over here. You still think that I don't care about him, Special Agent McGee?"

Tim sighed.

"I'm sorry, Agent McArthy-"

"Foster."

"I'm sorry, Agent Foster. I just don't know what to say right now. I'm just thinking about how everyone was somehow involved in Tony's death, including myself."

Leaning closer to Tim, I desperately wanted to help the broken man. We're in similar pain,and we want the same thing. Together, him and I will take down Tony's murderer, but we need to be in the same page before anything.

"Tim, Tony's death wasn't your fault, it wasn't my fault, it was the murderers fault. Now, if one of us were dead, Tony wouldn't take one second to grieve until our killer was dead, and it shouldn't be any different now. How do we know that the killer is done? Maybe it wasn't someone we know. It could've been an assassin who was hired by a friend of Michaels, or maybe it was someone else. Maybe he's after all of NCIS. Maybe he's after Ziva. Maybe it is Ziva."

Tim looked at me with hate and rage.

"No! No way! Ziva wouldn't. Now, if you're just here to accuse my friends, then just get out now!"

"I didn't mean-"

"No! No one else will break up my family. You know what, get out of here."

I'm shocked now. Shocked that this conversation took a turn for the worst so quickly. Shocked that this happened at all. Shocked that Tim would deny me the satisfaction that he knows that he craves, too, just because I was pondering verbally.

"OK, it wasn't Ziva. Just don't kick me out."

"No, it's to late now. Get out."

"You don't have the authority. I'm ranked higher than you."

Tim stood up and leaned down so we were eye level.

"Get. Out. No one will hurt my team again, Allison."

Growling, I stood up, defeated.

"Fine, but your Director will here about this, and he won't be happy."

"Do I look like I care? You know what? As soon as this case is solved, I'm resigning from NCIS."

I looked him in the eye.

"Now who's splitting up your team?"

That was my final comment as I left, hopeful that Tim would change his mind.

 **Abby's POV**

 **Washington D.C NCIS Squadroom**

Spotting Alice walking through the squad room looking rather infuriated, I walked over to her.

"Ally! Hi, I'm Abby!"

She looked over at me with tears running down her red eyes. Instantly, her eyes widened.

"Um, hi? How may I help you?"

Looking down at my attire, I understood what shocked Ally so much.

My mini skirt covered just little bit more than one third of my thighs, my black shirt was torn, fashionably, and my black jean jacket had a skull on it. The poor women is probably petrified.

"I'm Abby. Excuse the attire. Tony was my friend, and I understand that you two were very close at one time, and I wanted to meet you."

Suddenly sympathy drowned her eyes.

"Oh, Abby! Tim told me about you. I'm sorry about your loss. Tony was a great guy and you've gotta be taking this very, uh, hard. It's great to meet you, but I was just leaving so…"

"Wait, why are you leaving? Don't you want to get Tony's killer?"

"Of course, but I was uh, bested and kicked out by Tim."

Anger washed over me.

"What?! Tim? Aren't you going to stay? I can kill him and leave no forensic evidence. Okay, bad thing to say in this situation. That's like saying the grass is greener at where you want them to go if they're allergic to fertilizer. It's like saying-"

She looked at me very weird. Can't blame her.

"Okay, that's irrelevant. My point is, you've gotta stand up to Tim."

She shook her head.

"No. He doesn't trust me, and he's already in pain. I don't want him working with someone he hates, so, I'm just gonna go. Really, you guys are probably taking this harder. I haven't seem him for 20 years. You saw him days ago. You deserve to earn closure alone. I'm sorry to have gotten in the way."

"Ally-"

"I'm sorry." She said, then left.

I stood confused for a while until Tim came over.

"Hay, Abs."

I turned, completely outraged at Tim.

"You kicked her out, Tim?! How could you?"

Tim stared, shocked.

"Say something, Tim!"

He sighed.

"She accused Ziva, Abby."

I looked at him, confused.

"What?"

"I just can't work with someone who will try to break my family up further."

I sighed.

"Okay, but you should've let her stay. She was crying when I found her. She's in pain, too."

"We can't help everyone, Abby."

I stared at Tim.

"No, we can't. We couldn't save Tony, but we can save the women that he loves. She made Tony into the man that we loved. We owe it to her, and to Tony, to let her do this. You already knew that, didn't you?"

The elevator dinged, sparing Tim an answer. Gibbs and Ziva walked in.

When I saw them, I ran over and engulfed them into one of my bone crunching bear hug.

"Oh, you guys! I'm so sorry!"

Tim joined in our family hug, knowing that we will always be one short.

 ** _Gibbs's POV_**

 ** _Washington D.C NCIS Building._**

When I found Abby and Tim, and we all hugged, I felt empty. The hug felt empty. Tony was missing. I left the squad room with Tony by my side, and now I'm back, with that spot permanently empty, never to be filled.

"Oh guys, I'm so sorry." Abby whispered.

I wish she didn't have to be. I wish that Tony were here to bring joy in our lives like he always has. I'm in so much agony, knowing that he never will bring us joy again.

I'm so going to destroy Tony's killer.

"Me too, Abs. Me too."

I broke the hug and handed Abby the evidence.

"Work your magic, Abs."

She shook as took the bag.

I looked at her.

"Do it for Tony."

She looked at me and what she said made me smile, proud of my youngest daughter.

"I'll let you know ASAP."

"That's all I ask."

 ** _Later that day…_**

Ziva, McGee, and I were all staring at Tony's desk, consumed in our own thoughts. My thoughts? My thoughts were about how broken my family is becoming.

My wife, Jenny, is dead. My daughter, Kate is dead. My brother, Chris, is dead. My nieces, Jenny and Michelle are dead. Now my oldest and most loyal child, Tony, is dead. Who killed him? Now, only my adoptive Israeli daughter, Ziva, who has become so loyal and trustworthy to us, and my youngest son, Tim, who is so smart it's insane, are left.

Suddenly, my phone rang.

"Yeah?"

"Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! Gibbs! The results are back!"

"Who did it, Abs?"

"I'm waiting on you. You've got two minutes to get over here with the team."

"We're on our way, Abs."

I hung up and looked at my team, or what's left of it.

"C'mon." Then I led everyone up to Abby's lab.

 ** _In Abby's lab…._**

"Gibbs! Tim! Ziva! I've got it!"

"Do it, Abby. Let's see who killed Tony." Ziva encouraged.

Abby nodded.

"And the killer is…"

Abby pushed a button and my face came up.

"Gibbs?"

Everyone looked at me.

I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't say a word.

"Gibbs?" Abby chocked.

"I-" is all I could get out.

"You killed Tony?" Ziva asked/stated. There was a hint of mockery in her voice.

"He couldn't." Tim stated.

"I guess he did." Ziva stated. She appeared to be smirking a little.

 **Ziva's POV**

 **Washington D.C. Abby's Lab.**

I stared at the scene, feeling extremely proud. It worked. Mission accomplished. I secretly switched the evidence to make it look like Gibbs killed Tony. Serves him right for letting Michael die.

I let myself smirk just a little as I watched Gibbs squirm and Tim and Abby stare at him accusingly. They were so shocked and horrified.

They believe my lies.

Every single one.

 **Authors note: okay, very long chapter. Hopefully we're even now. I make you wait, I provide a huge chapter with a major twist at the end. Before you ask, no it is not over, and no the story has not changed. I'll try to update sooner. For now, please comment, like follow, etc. I can't begin to explain how much I appreciate it! 3**


	4. Chapter 4

**_Author's Note: PLEASE READ: It's getting harder than I expected to find a Beta Reader, but I really feel bad abandoning you on my search, so, at least for now, we'll have to depend on me and my own editing skills. I'll check over extra carefully, using the tips I've learned in Language Arts so far (I'm about to enter 8th grade, and it's usually advanced, but I'm only a kid so my grammar and stuff like that isn't perfect) I will still try my best, though, and if you see anything that I did wrong, please let me know. Thank you so much!_**

 ** _Alice's POV_**

 ** _Washington DC FBI Building_**

I am the leader of my team. My team is a group of very bright, talented, and dedicated people, and we have solved so many cases. We care for and look out for our teammates, and they has supported me since this whole thing with Tony started. When they heard that Tim told me to get out, they were equally as outraged as me. When they said that I should've stayed, I explained that I'm just trying to do what's best for the people Tony cared about. I miss Tony, and I want the person who killed him, but I wouldn't get in the way of Tone's team when he was alive, so why should it be any different now that he's dead?

We were working on a case when I was called over to Agent Fornell's office. I've only seen Fornell a few times, and no encounter was what you would call, "good".

After I entered Fornell's office, I was actually greeted pretty nicely.

"Oh, Alice, thank you for coming so quickly, and on such short notice."

Interested in what is causing this unexpected kindness, I shook the hand that he had offered me.

"It's just 15 seconds away, and we're just working on cold cases, so really you did me a favor. What can I do for you, Agent Fornell?"

"Please, call me Tobias. You are aware of Special Agent DiNozzo's ca-"

"Very Special Agent. Yes, I'm filled in."

Tobias nodded.

"So, you know that out Director has instructed us to arrest Agent DiNutso's boss, Special Agent Gibbs, for the murder of DiNutzo, right?"

Okay, that shocked me.

"He's been framed, Tobias. I haven't met him, but I've seen his team. They stick up for each other, and would never hurt each other. There's just no way."

Tobias sighed.

"I know, Alice, but we have to arrest him. We've been given 24 hours to prove his innocence, and if any more evidence points to him, we have no choice. That's the best that I can do. Now, I know why you are here instead of looking for your friend's killer. Think about this; you save his boss and McGee is bound to like you."

Very willing to do anything to help Tony, I accepted.

"Let's do it." I declare, grinning.

 ** _Abby's POV_**

 ** _Washington D.C Abby's Lab_**

What do I keep doing wrong? I have tested again and again, but it always says that Gibbs did it. There's just no way. The fact that I believed it for even a second sickens me, and I really feel like I'm betraying Gibbs

In the middle of thinking about new approaches, I heard the elevator ding, and Vance stepped in. He looked exhausted.

"Miss Sciuto, the White House does not appreciate how you're consistently waisting their money by running the same test the same way numerous times, just to prove a man, who, may I add, all the evidence points too, innocent. Now, if you have a new, and preferably cheaper way, tell me. If not, you're done, and I want you and the rest of your team to head home, and report showered, fed, and rested in 10 hours."

Sickened by Vance's attitude, I begin to shout.

"You're kidding right?! Do you really not care about what happens to Gibbs? He's your friend, as far as I know. About Tony, I don't know why you hated him so much or what he did, but he deserves so much better than you! He deserves someone who would actually care that he died. That, along several other reasons, is why you will NEVER come close to comparing to Jenny! She actually cared about her team, and that's a vital trait that you definitely lack."

Vance then began to give me the death glare, and I returned it.

"You remind me of my mother, Miss Sciuto. A feisty, annoying, needy, pushy, yet lovable pain that you just can't get rid of. I didn't hate DiNozzo, but I didn't care for him either, and next time you snap at me like that, you're fired. There. You have a verbal warning. Now get out of my building!" Vance responded.

Hurt, I left my equipment, and a huge sense of loss overcame me. I really did fail them. I let them down, and that causes so much pain.

Knowing that for now I can only do one thing for Gibbs, I decide to call Ziva and Tim to my apartment so that we can discuss our plan to save Gibbs.

 ** _Alice's POV_**

 ** _Washington DC FBI BUILDING_**

"Kayla, you got anything on David's phone?"

"Not yet, Alice."

"Well, keep looking, then."

After looking Tone's teammates up, Ziva automatically became my prime suspect. A trained Mossad assassin, who is known for working off of instinct, that just had her boyfriend killed, would surely hold a grudge against her friends killer, even if it was an accident or self defense.

That's the problem with love- you trust the people you love to much, and eventually they use that to their own advantage and to your disadvantage. It's really a natural law of nature, at least with my family.

 **5 minutes later**

"Alice, David is going to Abigail Sciuto's apartment to meet up with Abigail and Tim."

Nodding, I write down the address to Abby's apartment complex and her room number.

 ** _Ziva's POV_**

 ** _Washington DC Abby's Apartment_**

I must say that the strange gothic creep has caught my attention. She seemed pretty convinced that Gibbs did it, and now she's trying to prove his innocence. What up with the change? What wasn't believable? Was it the way I planted the evidence or the logic in general? Probably the logic.

Who could blame the goody-two-shoes boss that is perfect in every way?

Who cares that he murdered a man in cold blood? Who cares that his way of getting rid of pain is drowning himself in beer and his boats? Who cares that he's a dull and rude man who works his agents to the bone a day-to-day basis?

Nope, he's Sally Sunshine.

After getting everyone's attention, Abby started,

"Guys, we've gotta find out who killed Tony. We've already lost our glue. We can't lose our leader, too. We need to save him. Gibbs has been placed in a holding cell, and we have twenty one and a half hours to get him out. If we don't, he'll be in jail or maybe-"

Pausing, refusing to let herself cry, she waited until she whispered,

"Maybe he could be sentenced to death for murdering a federal agent."

I try not to smirk at the idea. Imagine it. Gibbs and Tony are both dead. At this point, so is Abby. All that's left is Tim and I. We get two more decent agents and a normal Forensic Scientist.

Hmm. Tim and I. I and Tim. Or is it me and Tim? My English is not perfect.

Anyway, us together sounds good. He wouldn't betray me like Tony did.

"First things first. Who may do it? Ziva, would anyone at Mossad kill Tony? What about Abba? Could he have killed Tony, Ziva?"

Instantly infuriated, I shot back,

"Why do all Americans go by this dimwitted stereotype that all Isreali's are set on revenge and murdering people? Abba called Tony Agent Meatball because even though Tony was the dullest knife in the cabinet,-"

"Drawer. Dullest knife in the drawer. Although, he wasn't the dullest, Ziva."

Rolling my eyes, I continued.

"Abba still liked and respected him. The answer is no, Abba could never hurt Tony in a million years. Look, perhaps it was Gibbs."

Everyone looked outraged at my statement.

"You! You are so, so wrong! Gibbs would never do it!" Abby shot back.

"Well, you accused my Abba of something he did not do! You know how Gibbs is a father figure to you? You know how much it hurts to have your father figure accused? Imagine how hard it is to have your own father accused, and for no apparent reason! Just because of his past and stereotypes. Hey, your father is muscley, and in Hollywood movies, the strong one tends to be the murderer. Maybe your father did it."

Abby narrowed her eyes.

"My. Daddy. Is. Dead." She growled.

"Well, I was ignoring the obvious because of how the public viewed him. That is Deja Vu, yes?"

Abby and I shouted some pretty, violent things to each other, until we heard a knock at the door.

Tim, looking absolutely petrified, answered the door, and a woman was at the door.

"Uh, hey Alice." Tim greeted.

Alice? Could she be Allison Foster?

After studying the women carefully, I realized that she does look like someone Tony would like.

"Hey, Tim. I'm sure that you're aware of the 24 hour window that you were given."

Smiling at the glares that we shot back, she continued,

"Okay, then. Didn't have to ask that question. Moving on. Uh, may I come in?"

After Tim sighed, Abby jumped in.

"Yes, Ally. You can come in."

After thanking Abby, she walked in and immediately got serious.

"Alright, Tobias is working very hard to keep the twenty-four hour window, but it's getting increasingly difficult. We need to take action now. I know you were, but I figured that you could use a fresh pair of eyes. Guys, I want Tony's killer, too, but you've gotta let me in, and you've gotta trust me."

I don't know why, but I'm getting extremely annoyed by this woman.

"Well, I was just contemplating that perhaps Gibbs was, in fact, the killer."

Alice immediately looked suspicious of my statement.

"I take it that you're Ziva?"

I chuckled.

"You have heard the gossip spreading, no?"

Alice made a kind of emotionless smile.

"Yeah, and I doubt that he would do it. I have numerous contacts who have seen them interact, including Agent Fornell himself, and all have denied any possibility that either man would harm one another in any way. Even so much as a screaming match was rare. They had a parent-child relationship that many, including myself and my daughter, would look up to."

Now that Alice is questioning me, I realize how foolish my plan is. With this, she may have the twenty-four hour window expanded, or, if she plays her cards right, he may be set free.

Or, maybe that could be my plan.

This woman is trying to get me thrown in jail. Gibbs would try to avoid that. If Alice can get Gibbs out, then I can kill her and frame Gibbs for her death, too. In two cases, all evidence would point to Gibbs. No way someone can protect him then.

He'll go to jail for my crimes, and anyone that hurt me would pay right there.

I could do that, or I can kill Gibbs afterwards, and make it look like a suicide.

One of the two. Benefits and consequences come with both.

"Allison, your case is that Gibbs could not kill Tony because they did not act homicidal towards each other, but you never saw them together. I, however, have seen them shout at each other, and have witnessed the several head slaps that Tony has received. Perhaps Gibbs reacted violently towards Tony for murdering Michael, lost it for two seconds, and now regrets his behavior. It would not be the first time that he did something irrational and then regretted it. Now, if you deny the possibility of Gibbs being the murderer, who do you propose did it, Nancy Drew?" I question.

Alice looks me square in the eyes.

"You, Miss David. The Mossad video footage is erased from approximately five minutes before the estimated time of assault to Tony lying on the ground, and Gibbs trying to comfort Tony."

Not liking where Alice is going, I fight back.

"Well, clearly, Gibbs erased the footage."

Smirking, Alice shook her head,

"Nope. Mossad has footage of YOU entering the building, and you talking to your Abba."

I shrug.

"I was going through an emotional time. I needed comfort from Abba. Is that so bad?"

Alice shook her head again.

"If it were an innocent conversation, then no, it wouldn't be bad. However, although you can't see what is on the screen, your Abba appears to be doing something to the security footage. Now, how would you explain that?"

I shrug.

"Perhaps it was not the security footage."

Alice chuckles, and I continue,

"So, your reasoning is that Tony's death was not recorded, and I was speaking to my Abba. You are pointing fingers at the little Israeli girl. Look at you, appearing right after Tony's death, accusing me at first sight. Perhaps you were the murderer, Alice!"

Alice smiles. I instantly realize my mistake. She set a trap, and I foolishly allowed myself to be lured into it.

"Nope. It would take a fourteen hour plane ride for me to get from D.C to Tel Aviv, and it's been quite a long time since I traveled via plane. I have a rock solid alibi. Try again."

Suddenly, Abby stepped in, sounding shaky and small.

"Ziva, why? You couldn't have killed Tony, could you? Why have you accused all of these people? You accused Gibbs, my dad, and now Alice. Why, Ziva?"

I scoffed.

"I am simply trying to find out who killed Tony. You are, too, yes?"

"Well, everyone, I hate to break it to you, but the guilty tends to point fingers the most, and most of the accusations turn out to be, irrational." Alice adds.

Suddenly, Alice's eyes turn cold. All expression leaves her face, and her eyes glue to me.

"Okay, you have an explanation for everything. Now explain this: Gibbs's hands were covered in blood, so he clearly tried to stop the blood flow. Now, why would he do that?"

Trying to talk smoothly, I reply,

"Like I said, he regrets his actions."

Alice smiles coldy and shakes her head.

"No, Ziva. Not his actions. He didn't kill anyone. I'm gonna ask you a question. Footage of you merely an hour before Tony's death shows you in a white shirt and black pants, yet after his assault, you have on a purple shirt and jeans. Now, where did the original clothes go? I'll answer that: the dumpster. Very original. There was quite a bit of blood splatter on your clothes, Ziva. Now, who's blood could that be?"

After giving me an agonizing second to rack my brain for a good reason to have blood on my shirt, she continued,

"Oh, don't worry, I already have the answer to that. Gibbs doesn't have blood splatter on his clothes. He was just on top of Tony's pool of blood, which means that when Gibbs arrived at the scene, Tony had already been shot! Our Forensic Scientist analyzed the blood on your clothes, Ziva. Tony's blood is all over your shirt. Explain that, Ziva."

Speechless, I finally gather the agonizing truth.

I'm busted. I've gotta get out of here, fast.

"I can explain that, too, Agent David. You're under arrest for the murder of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and attempting to frame a Federal Agent."

As Alice takes out her weapon and cuffs, I attack.

After striking Alice in the temple, she falls to the ground with blood exiting through her skull, I race out the door, not knowing if I killed Alice or not.

"Abby, stay here with Alice and call 911." I hear Tim shout.

All I can do at this point is run.

 ** _Tim's POV_**

 ** _Washington D.C Abby's Apartment Building and Parking Lot_**

Astounded at how wrong I was, I desperately hope that Alice will be alright.

How? How could Ziva do this? How could I be so wrong?

Tony, Gibbs, and now Alice have all suffered from my blindness long enough. I've gotta end this here. I've gotta catch the woman that I've considered a close friend for three years for killing the person that I've considered a brother for six years.

In other words, I've gotta make Ziva pay for murdering my big brother in cold blood.

"Freeze, Ziva!" I call.

Suddenly, she turns, and I react to slow.

I'm punished with a sharp pain, and the feeling of warm blood coming out of the bullet hole in my abdomen.

I collapse to the floor, and realize how badly I failed as I watch Ziva run away, and hear the sound of a car starting and speeding off.

 ** _Author's Note: Yep, there's that chapter. I'm going to ask someone else in my family or a close friend to review my work and correct errors, but I just haven't gotten to it yet. If you find any mistakes, please let me know._**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Author's note: Okay, I've found a beta reader, and she's already found a few minor mistakes in chapter 1, and I have corrected them. I will continue posting chapters while she looks over the older ones, so the newest chapters will not be edited at first, so please just be patient, and, like I said, please let me know what you think and how I can make it better. You guys have been great viewers, and it's very exciting every time anyone reviews this story, and every time anyone follows or like it. This has been a great experience so far, and I thank you all for reading this story and bearing with me through any errors I've made. I will follow your advice and slow it down a little. Therefore, these next few chapters will foreshadow and prepare for the future chapters in this story, so these characters get their breather. Anyway, please like, comment follow, etc. Enjoy!_**

 ** _Abby's POV_**

 ** _Abby's Apartment Building, Washington D.C_**

As things quickly spiraled out of control, I realized that Ziva isn't the sweet, tomboyish, and crazy super-human that I originally made her out to be. I overestimated her.

I barely notice the tears flowing freely down my face as I strive to remain in denial, and, at the same time, attempt, without success, to drown out the sickening sounds of my family screaming itself to death. Sadly, I eventually realize the agonizing truth.

Ziva killed Tony and framed Gibbs, and will do anything to ensure that she keeps her secret just like that; a secret. I never realized how selfish she is until now.

Suddenly, things got even worse.

"I can explain that, too, Agent David. You're under arrest for the murder of Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and attempting to frame a Federal Agent." Ally announced.

The world went by slowly as Ziva grabbed the glass part of my lava lamp, and struck Alice in the temple with the bottom of it, breaking the lamp and causing shards of glass to penetrate skin in the process.

Alice falls to the ground, unconscious, with blood slowly seeping out of her head, and before either Tim or I could respond, Ziva darted out.

"Ziva, stay with Alice and call 911!" Tim shouts.

Because I am so mortified by what just happened, I react slowly, and finally crouch down by Alice to feel for a pulse.

Her pulse is a little slow, but it is steady, and the fact that she is alright for now will help me gather up the strength to dial three little numbers: 9-1-1.

The ring was quickly replaced by a young woman's sweet, somewhat soothing, voice.

"9-1-1, what is your emergency?"

After allowing myself to breathe for a second, I answered her question as calmly as possible.

"An FBI agent was struck on the temple. Her attacker is being pursued by an NCIS agent, but we need paramedics, now. I'm with the FBI agent but-"

I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the sickening sound of a bullet entering and exiting a human body.

Pain washed over me as I wonder who got shot.

Regardless of future events, if Ziva has been shot, it would be excruciating, just as it would be if Tim was shot. Ziva is my friend, and I can't lose her or Tim.

I hang up, knowing that they can easily trace my call.

It's not the best choice, but I've gotta know who was shot. I have to.

After grabbing Alice's gun, I run out to the hallway, and immediately, the sight of Tim on the ground, with blood coming out of his abdomen, catches my attention.

 _Ziva, no. Please. Why have you done all of this? Tony didn't want to kill Michael. It was self defense. Don't you understand that?_

Sobbing, I bend down to check Tim's pulse.

It was there, but I've felt better pulses. We need those paramedics.

Why would Ziva do this? Never, for the three years that we've known each other, had I ever imagined her unjustly hurting others, but I was wrong.

It brakes my heart.

Suddenly,I hear sirens blare and run down to the lobby to guide the paramedics.

"Please help! An FBI agent was struck in the temple, and an NCIS agent was shot in the abdomen." I shout to the medics, and then lead them to my hallway."

Immediately, they see Tim, and start work on him.

"Ma'am, didn't you say that there's an FBI agent?" One paramedic asks.

I nod.

"Yes. She got hit in the temple by a uh, lava lamp."

The medics nod.

"Where is the agent?"

I point to my room, and they split up. Some go in my room, some stay in the hallway.

After a few minutes of the medics shouting words I don't understand, they begin to pack up and put Ally and Tim on gurneys, so they can head on over to the hospital.

"Will they be OK?" I ask one of the medics.

The medic looks at me.

"Im not sure, ma'am. I'm sure that you've heard this speech before, but we're taking to surgery, and we're running a CT scan for -"

"Her husband filed for divorce, and she hates him. She goes by Foster."

The medic nods.

"Ok, well, Miss Foster is in worse condition than you may think. It's pretty safe to say that she has a bad concussion, which will make her prone to seizures. If she's bleeding, the CT scan will hopefully detect it. With a concussion and internal bleeding, seizures can happen anytime, and can come out of no where."

My eyes widened.

"Don't worry. We've saved many people. We'll try just as hard with her."

I nod, and I begin to cry.

"If you'd like, you can follow us to the hospital."

I nod.

 **Hospital, Washington D.C**

Sitting around, waiting for results makes me antsy. When the doctor finally exited Alice's room, she looked at me.

"You here for Allison Mc- uh, a Foster, ma'am?"

I stand and nod.

"Well, Miss Foster's CT scan was clear of any bleeding, but we can't be certain. Head wounds can be very surprising. We'd like to keep her to run a few tests, but as soon as she wakes up, she can leave if she wants. We can't hold her. That's all that I can tell you, ma'am. If you'd like to see her, I'll let you know when she wakes up." The doctors reported, then left.

A slight sense of relief came over me. Sure, it's not a guarantee that she'll be okay, but it's enough for now.

I just wish that her results where as positive as Tim's.

About twenty minutes later, a different doctor, a man, came to me.

"Are you here for Timothy McGee?" He asked.

I nod, and he smiles.

"You his girlfriend?"

I smile at the thought. Me and Tim. I love him. Why did I cheat on him?

"Um, I'm not one hundred percent sure."

The doctor smiles some more.

"So you want to. What's holding you back? Commitment issues, you like someone else, or it just won't work out?"

I shrug.

"All of the above. Plus, what's holding me back right now is that, I kinda don't know if he's dead or not. How is he?"

He looked confused for a second, and then he realized that he's working, and I want to know how my kinda brother, kinda boyfriend is.

"Oh, right. The bullet didn't hit any major origins, no major arteries, and went straight through. The short version: he's in pain, but he'll be fine. Gave you quit a scare, huh?"

All I can do is nod.

"He's awake and in his room if you'd like to see him."

After thanking the doctor, I walk into Tim's room, and he looks at me and smiles almost immediately.

"Hey, Abs." He groans.

"Hey, Tim." I respond, and sit.

After a minute or two of silence, I speak up.

"We've gotta stop Ziva, Tim. She killed Tony and she shot you. No one's safe."

After drawing in a sharp breath, Tim replied.

"Yeah, Abby. I know. I still can't believe this. I don't understand what caused her to do that."

My thoughts exactly.

"Let's talk about something else, though, Abs."

Yeah, even though one friends dead and another killed him, unicorns and rainbows are the first thing that pop into my head.

"The Doctor that told me that you're okay thought that we're boyfriend and girlfriend."

Tim widens his eyes, and we laugh very hard together.

"Seriously? Did he call you ?" Tim sarcastically asks.

"No doubt that that thought crossed his mind."

We both just stay there in silence for a little.

The silence was broken by Tim when he noticed how much I was shifting in my chair.

"Um, those hospital chairs are pretty uncomfortable. Why don't you lie down?"

I nod and lay down next to him, trying so hard not to grin.

I lose the battle when he puts his arm around me.

"Abs, you remember when we were dating and we would look just like this, but in your coffin instead of hard hospital beds?"

I smile.

"Yeah. We had great times." I respond.

Tim shifts uncomfortably.

"Yeah. Had. If you hadn't cheated on me and ended our relationship, we may still be having times like this regularly, and the death of friends wouldn't be what makes us be like this. Maybe we'd be married. Maybe with kids."

I look at him.

"Would you like that?"

Tim looks at the ceiling and sighs.

"Yeah, is would. You have no idea how many times it crosses my mind. I love you. Always have. I just don't know if you did. Or do."

I lay on my side and wait until he looks at me to respond.

"I do love you. I did then. I always have… which is why I want to get back together with you."

Tim sighs

"Abby, I'd love to get back together with you, but at the same time, I don't. I always pictured you as someone who would never hurt me, and that was one of the most painful things I've ever experienced. Then and now, you seemed like the one, and I just didn't feel like I was enough. Now I'm just, confused, Abs."

I look at the ceiling.

"I love you so much. You're the one, and that was one of the worst things I've ever done, and I'll regret it forever, regardless of what you decide. Just know that if you're willing to pick our relationship up where we left off, I am, too, because I love you." I answer as I begin to get up.

He grabs my arm and kisses me.

"I have faith in you and this relationship, Abs. Please just never do that to me again."

I smile.

"I won't, Tim."

He smiles.

"So, what now?"

Tim smiles.

"Well, I'm free now if you'd like to hang out, girlfriend."

I smile.

"I'd be glad to."

He smiles back.

 **1 hour later…**

My phone rang, startling us both. I groan.

"Hello?" I answer.

"Miss Sciuto, this is Agent Fornell."

"Oh hey Fornell. How can I help you?"

"Well, I wanted to be the one to tell you the good news. We were informed quickly about Ziva's crime. Gibbs was cleared. We just released him. He's heading over to the hospital now."

I smile.

"Thanks, Fornell." I respond, and then I hang up.

Ziva lost this round. She lost several rounds, really. Not only did she fail in framing Gibbs, she proved that she killed Tony, too. Now, she definitely failed in killing Tim, and probably failed in killing Alice.

Tim looks at me weird.

"Gibbs can come to the wedding." I respond to my fiancé.

He smiles.

"Oh yeah. We were engaged when we broke up."

I smirk and look at him.

"No, I didn't forget, it was one of the best days of my life. So, you wanna be engaged again?"

I smile. Tim and I are technically not engaged, but you know what? I'd like to be.

"Yeah, I do." I respond.

We smile at each other, grateful for this new found happiness that we haven't experienced for a long time.

We deserve it.

After all, we are engaged.

 ** _Authors note: Yep. Tim and Abby are engaged now. I like throwing surprises like that. I didn't expect that to happen, either. I just wrote, "Gibbs can come to the wedding.", and it just seemed like a great idea when I saw it. Started off as a typo, changed to a joke, and then became the first pleasant cliff hanger in this fanfic. Anyway, please comment, like, etc, and I'll repost soon._**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Tim's POV_**

 ** _Hospital. Washington D.C_**

I'm not one hundred percent sure that I trust Abby. I loved her, but she turned her back on me. Why would she do that to me? Every single day, she'd tell me how much she loved me. Was it a lie, or was she just, I don't know, confused or… I don't know.

The day that I proposed was one of the best days of my life, and it was a lie. Who knows? Maybe she was engaged to that other guy. Maybe, maybe not. I thought that I could trust her, but I clearly couldn't. Has she learned her lesson? Only time will tell, but for now, I'll be happy to have the woman that I love, back in my arms.

We just stayed there for a little, and then a friendly face came by.

Gibbs.

He looked at us weird.

"Hey, Gibbs. See that you're out of the cell?" Abby greeted, happily yet awkwardly.

Gibbs nodded.

"Yeah I am. What you two doing there?" Gibbs questioned. He's smirking, and his voice make it sound like he's mocking us.

"Um, we're sorta, engaged now." I answer.

Gibbs looked at us weird.

"So, you two dated and didn't tell me?"

"Well, it's not that we were dating two days ago. More like, five years ago." I defend.

Gibbs looked confused.

"You know that secret relationship that everyone knew about?" Abby asks.

Gibbs nods.

"Yeah. You two keep horrible secrets. So, apparently, the modern way to get engaged is to meet each other, begin dating after a few months, break up, friend zone each other, but flirt at the same time, for a few years, wait until a friend is killed, and the killer wounds one of you, and then bam! you're engaged?" Gibbs mocks.

We remain in silence for a few seconds, and then he continues,

"Because if it is, I did it wrong. Four times."

Abby and I chuckle uncomfortably.

"That'd explain all of the ex-wives." I reply sarcastically.

Gibbs and Abby then look at me weird.

"Too far, hmmm?"

Gibbs just nods.

After a few seconds of silence, Abby speaks up.

"So, uh, how was the, pre-jail?"

Gibbs glares.

"I shared a cell with teenaged gangsters who couldn't keep their pants up, and a man in his mid-twenties that kept looking at me and saying, 'Give me a reason, bro'. Must I go on?"

Abby and I then look at each other uncomfortably.

"No thanks, Gibbs. I've got a pretty vivid picture already."

Gibbs just grunts, then waits a little longer to respond.

"Shouldn't have been there in the first place, Abs. I shouldn't have been there, Tony should be alive, Tim and Alice shouldn't be here, and Ziva shouldn't be on the run. Ugh, it just doesn't make sense."

No, it doesn't make sense. Why would Ziva do this? What part of self-defense doesn't that woman understand?

I just shake my head.

"Tony's funeral is in three days. That's the latest I could get. I'll text you the address." Gibbs announces, and once again, Abby and I nod.

Getting bored and uncomfortable, I press the call button and wait for the nurse to come.

"So, how you feeling, Tim?" Abby asks.

I shrug.

"I'm OK, I guess. Just sore."

Abby nods, and suddenly the nurse comes.

"Yes, ?" He asks.

"Is Alice McArthy awake?"

He eyes me suspiciously.

"I cannot tell you anything unless I have permission from her husband or her Aunt."

"Oh, Aunt Olivia? I had to do a background search on Alice to find her, so I know stuff like that. I know that Aunt Olivia, Olive, I believe Alice calls her, adopted her and her sister, Eren, after her dad, Adam, and brother, Zach, killed her baby sister, Shelby, because she had a disorder, caused from brain trauma caused by the car accident that her and their mother went through two years before, also resulting in the mother's death. Look, I've talked to her twice, but I've looked her up enough to know everything, so you can call us friends. I know that Olive babysat Anthony DiNozzo when they were children. I was friends with Tony for six years before he died, so please just tell Olive that I was friends with Tony and that I need to talk to Alice."

The nurse just stares at me.

"Um, how do you know this?" He questions.

"He's a geek. Spends every waking moment on computers or his typewriter. He plays video games. His nickname is Elf Lord." Abby responds.

The nurse shakes his head.

"You don't have a wife or kids, do you?"

I just look down, ashamed.

"No."

The nurse rolls his eyes.

"Not surprised."

"I am engaged, though."

Looking impressed, the nurse responds,

"Really? How long?"

I shrug.

"Um, I'd say since around two-thirty this evening."

The nurse continues to stare.

"OK, so it's recent. How long have you been dating?"

"Also around two-thirty this evening." I quickly respond.

Once again, stare fest.

"Long story." I add.

"Mhmm, and I don't wanna here it. I'll talk to, _OLIVE_." The nurse responds, then leaves.

Now that the nurse is gone, Gibbs and Abby apparently decided to make me uncomfortable, too, because they start to stare.

"Stalker, much, Timmy?" Abby mocks.

After that, I basically just mumbled stuff no one can understand until the nurse came back.

"OK, is awake, and if you'd like to see her, you're in luck. Her husband isn't there, her daughter is at school, and OLIVE has to leave" The nurse offers.

I nod.

"OK. Basically, we're gonna roll you into her room."

"OK, nurse. Thank you."

 **IN ALICE'S ROOM**

Alice looks so fragile. She looks so, strange.

She was so dedicated to Tony. How could I have yelled at her like I did? The irrational accusation turned out to be an absolutely precise one. I overestimated Ziva, and underestimated Alice.

I reach over and I wake Alice very gently, being careful not to move her head around, and she wakes almost immediately.

"Hey, Alice. It's Tim."

She smiles uncomfortably.

"Hey, Tim. Where's Erin?"

"Your sister or your daughter?""

She chuckles.

"You caught on to that? I'm asking about my daughter. Sister won't be coming. I can guarantee that."

"Well, your daughter left for school. Can I talk to you, Alice?"

She shrugs.

"Sure."

I shift uncomfortably in my bed, and then begin.

"I was out of line, Alice. You gave Tony some of the best years of his life, and that is nothing to be ashamed of. He couldn't have asked for a better friend. The reason that I was so rude to you is, I miss him. He may not have liked me, but I considered him a brother."

Alice looks at me with curiosity.

"What do you mean, he didn't like you?"

"Well, he found joy in my misery. Our relationship was big brother, little brother. Little brother naturally loves and looks up to the big one, and the bigger one just can't except the little one."

Alice looks at me weird for a few seconds, and then reaches across and gives me a Gibbs slap.

"You're an idiot. What do you think makes up a healthy sibling relationship? Braiding each others hair? You wanna gossip about boys with Tony? Well, let's bring him back to life. He'd do it, for you. Doesn't matter what it is. If it'll help you or make you happy, he'll do It. He would help you, without regarding his own personal sacrifices. It's what big siblings do. They protect their little siblings. There's two different kinds of caring big siblings, that I know of. First is the supportive kind. They are more quiet and loyal than fun and care-free. They'd jump in front of a train for you in a second, but you can't really call them "friends". More like, obsessive and extra caring guidance counselors. The other is the loving, funny sibling that you can relate to, and can be the ideal "friend". They mostly express affection through teasing. They have their own strange way of showing their love, and if you take time to really, how should I put this, decipher their own little sign and methods, then you will never doubt their love for you again. I loved my sister to death, and not one day went by when I didn't torment the girl. It was just, natural. However, for all good siblings, uptight or care-free, there always comes the time when the younger sibling need help, and the good older sibling will always spring into action. Every single time. They kinda have their own, "Touch them and I'll kill you" instinct. While no one can harm their brother or sister in anyway, for certain siblings, teasing shows love. That was your relationship with Tony, as it was mine with my baby sister, Shelby. No doubt that you cared deeply for him, and vice versa. He loved you, and I am so sorry for your loss, Tim."

Staring at Alice, I take that information in. Can gluing my fingers to the keyboard and stealing my ideas be a sign of love?

The next thing that hits me, is knowing that my brother was in a hospital, once upon a time, with blue lips, gasping for breath, and being eaten alive from the inside out by the plague. He probably looked like a fragile, lonely smurf, fighting for his life. I remember the loss I felt when I was sure that the plague would kill him.

Next, I remember grieving in my small apartment over that cop that I accidentally killed. I remember Tony coming to my apartment in the middle of the night to cheer me up, just like Alice said. He teased me, trying to cheer me up with humor, and he was the warm embrace that I needed when I finally broke down.

Yes, he did love me. I was his little brother. He was my care-free brother that teased me and stuck by my side. Tony was my best friend.

I miss him.

That's when I start to cry again over my newest loss. I'm overcome with so much anguish like I was years ago, but this time, I'm all alone. I will always be alone. I don't care if I'm married with twenty children. I will always be alone, because my brother, my best friend, will always be gone.

Three voices start flooding in, further traumatizing my already enervated mind. The words "It's okay", and "We'll get through this", yada yada yada, come at me like a slap in the face. What about this is okay? What about this can be forgotten? Are they to confined in their little fantasy worlds to realize that our lives will never be the same? That a major lifeline is gone, never to return? That we are suffering through a very significant loss?

I thought that my family was stronger than this.

However, our source of energy _has_ been stolen from us.

We are brought back to reality when the nurse comes back with flowers.

"You guys have flowers. Delivered by some strange foreign lady. Black hair and black eyes. Says her name was-"

"Ziva David?" I finish.

The nurse nods.

"Yeah. Says she works with NCIS, and is friends with Agent McGee. She's busy now, but for future references, is she authorized to visit?"

We just sit like statues for a while, so utterly horrified, that paralysis was the instant outcome, and we remained that way for a second, until finally Gibbs broke the cycle.

"No, she's not. Lock down the hospital. There is a murderer in the building." Gibbs answers.

The nurse looks at us, confused, and then sets the flowers down to start lockdown.

Gibbs rushes over to the flowers, and looks instantly petrified, and almost as instantly, so unbelievably furious. He practically flies out in pursuit, dropping the card in the process.

As the note falls, I easily make out the sinister words written in bold, neat cursive writing.

 _"I'm not done._

 _-Ziva"_

 ** _Author's note: Yeah, short chapter, I know. However, as I wrote this chapter, I realized that this was the best way to end it. This chapter was going to end with Tony's funeral, but that'll probably be more in the middle of the next chapter. Plus, this chapter got it's fair share of emotions, don't ya think? This is by far the most emotional thing that I've ever written, and it's also my favorite, and I am so honored to share it with you guys! Anyway, please comment, follow, etc. This has been a blast so far!..._**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Author's note: Sorry its been a while. This story is almost over, and from now on I wanna complete my stories before even publishing the first chapter, and waiting a few days in case there's something you don't like that I can change. That way it'll probably be updated 2 or 3 times a week, as opposed to once every two weeks. Anyway, please enjoy this chapter!_**

 ** _Gibbs's POV_**

 ** _Washington D.C. Hospital_**

My mind is racing at 1,000 miles an hour. Maybe more. Maybe a little less. I can't tell you because everything is just such a blur, and I don't know what to think or who to trust anymore.

I trusted Ziva. I trusted Vance to not throw Tony into a pack of wolves. I even kinda began to trust Eli, and, as much as it sickens me, Mossad. Most of all, I trusted myself to have Tony's six.

My naive self allowed them all to let me down, and that cost Tony his life.

My failures haven't just killed Tony. All but two of my children are dead.

I didn't spot Ari. If I used my logics and my common sense, Kate would've survived.

If I had done my job as a father and as a husband, and watched and protected Shannon and Kelly, they'd be alive.

If I had just paid attention to what was waived right in my face, just waiting for me to grasp it, then Tony would be alive.

If I hadn't neglected Chris, he'd be alive.

Jenny, well, there was no saving her, but I could've let her die happy. If I didn't overestimate the time she had left, she would've died knowing the truth. That I loved her. I let her down, too.

Kate, Shannon, Kelly, Tony, and Chris would be alive, and Jenny would've died happy, if only I wasn't incompetent and blind.

Not only that, but I wouldn't be chasing after my adopted daughter, ready to tear her head off. I wouldn't be absorbing the fact that she killed Tony, her adoptive brother, because she wouldn't have done it. If I taught Ziva right, she'd know that Rivkin's death was justified.

If only I was as reliable as people think that I am.

I let a single tear fall as I will my drained body forward, begging it to move as quickly as my mind.

Instead, I run the same pase.

"Ziva!" I scream.

Right when I am about to give up hope, I am greeted by one of the best sights I've ever seen.

The sight I see is Ziva, tangled up in the arms of several security guards.

I smirk.

"You failed, Ziva."

She stops struggling and stares at me.

"No. I did not fail, Gibbs. Dinozzo is dead. He got what he deserved. No, I did not make it out spot-free, but I did what I wanted. I was trained to not be afraid of anything, and unlike you, I was trained well."

I step forward.

"Its scot-free."

Ziva just shrugs.

I hold out my handcuffs. Ziva looks at them, and shrugs again.

"Do as you will. Like I said, I did what I needed."

I walk over to Ziva, and the guards hold her as I cuff her.

"Tony will never get hurt again, Ziva. Your case is different. Tim, Abby, Alice, and I, would all love to bury you six feet under, and no one will stop us."

Ziva stares at me.

"Like I said, do as you will. Put me on Death Row. See if I care. Spoiler alert: I won't."

"Then come on."

We say nothing else as I walk her to my car.

She's got a lot of explaining to do.

 ** _ZIVA'S POV_**

 ** _NCIS Interrogation Room Washington D.C_**

I begin pacing in the small room. I'm not scared, I'm just. So. Bored.

"UGH! C'mon Gibbs! I know that you're in Observation smirking at me. I can practically hear you smirking, you're smirking so hard. Get over here and face Tony's killer like a man."

Suddenly, the door opens, and Gibbs strolls in.

"Thanks for the confession."

"What, you did not know? Wow. DiNozzo at least cared about you enough to actually use his common sense. You really are heartless and idiotic. But I do not need to say that. It has been going through your mind since all this began, no? It has been eating up inside you like, the plague. Tony had to save himself then, and he had to save himself again, and that is why he died. It is a crying shame that he was also to weak to save himself. You are to weak to save yourself, and Tony was, too. Is McGee? Is Abby? Are they strong enough? I can assure you, Gibbs, that someday, that question will be put to the test. If you ask me, they are not prepared. It appears that I will be in jail, but someone out there could be plotting their deaths right now, and there is nothing they can do to stop them, because you did not prepare them. It must be eating you inside, knowing that Kate died. Knowing that Kelly died. Knowing that Tony died, and that you could have avoided all of those deaths. How does it feel to let someone who depends on you die? It must hurt."

Gibbs steps towards me, and says in the most cold, expressionless voice,

"I don't know, Ziva. How does it feel? Just think back to when you let Michael die. How did it feel to let him die in your adopted country? How did it feel to know that your relationship with him killed him? How did it feel to find him on the floor of your apartment, bloody, cold, defenseless, and alone?"

"ENOUGH!" I scream.

"I couldn't stop my kids deaths, but you know that you could have easily saved Michael. It is killing you, isn't it? It's killing you to know that you are responsible for Michael's death. It just hurts you so much, that you try to blame anyone else, and Tony is the one that you blamed. Tony didn't do anything. It was all you. The moment we lock you up and burn the key, Michael's death will be avenged. Until then, Michael's true killer is out SCOT-free."

I am fighting back the tears now. Michael should be alive. It is Tony's fault, and I have no regrets about killing him, but I could've saved Michael.

"Oh, Ziva. Imagine the life you two could've had together. He probably would've proposed. Oh, think of the wedding. Imagine Michael in his tux. Imagine your dress. Think about your Abba. He'd lock arms with you as you tremble with the glorious feeling of anxiousness and excitement at the same time. A feeling that can never be replaced or replicated. Oh, Ziva, imagine what would be going on in Abba's head. Imagine how proud he'd be. Wouldn't it feel great to have him proud of his only daughter for once in his life? The two loves of your life would look each other in the eye, and oh man, that feeling you'll get when they join each others family. It's the best feeling. Trust me. I know. Oh, man. To bad you let Michael die before he could even get down on his knee. You'll never get to know that feeling."

Tears start falling.

"Please stop." I beg.

"Oh, Ziva. If only there was someone left in this world who cares about what you want. To bad you killed the last one that does."

I then resort to a full-on sob, unable to contain myself.

I'm just so miserable now. So hurt. Michael trusted me, and I let him down the one time that he needed me. I failed.

I put Michael in a vulnerable position, and Tony was the one to take advantage of it.

I will never forgive myself.

 ** _ALICE'S POV_**

 ** _NCIS... The next day_**

After Tony's funeral, we all gathered in the squad room.

Everyone was there. Except for Ziva, of course. And Tony's dad. He was on a "Business Trip". Yeah. Tell that to the woman in the background telling him to come back to bed. Disgusting.

My CT scans came back negative. I'm fine. Tim will be fine. He still needs to rest, but the hospital said he could go as long as a nurse was there. Luckily, we got a sympathetic and non-intrusive nurse.

I look at Tony's team.

My team cares about each other, but we are nowhere near as close as Tony's team is. They stick by each other's side.

The only exception is Ziva David. She's a selfish woman.

"You've been looking at my team weird all day." Gibbs greets.

I nod.

"I would love it if my team was like that. Family, not co-workers."

"If you had the chance to join my team, would you take it?"

That question surprises me.

I would love to. I want a job with Gibbs and his team. Especially with Tim.

The problem is that I would never move on. I don't want to forget Tony, but I don't want to see the faces of his friends on a daily basis. Don't want to hear them say something like, "Oh Tony would've loved you on the team. That would've been great."

How would I move on when my partner would be Tony's replacement?

I just wish that I could be on Gibbs's team with Tony, but that can't happen.

Little did I know that I can.

 ** _5 MINUTES LATER_**

The elevator dinged. Who would be coming to NCIS this early?

The answer: A doctor, with a familiar face on his tail.

The face of Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo.

"What? No balloons?" Tony asks sarcastically.

Everyone just stares, absolutely mezmorized, until Abby darts forward and engulfs Tony into the biggest hug I've ever seen.

"TONY!" McGee yells happily.

"I missed you!" Abby yells.

"Welcome back, Tony." Gibbs welcomes as he smiles.

I want to run to Tony and jump on him, and beg him to never leave my side again, but I'm just so, appalled. I can't even move.

Tony hasn't changed. He has the same eyes. The same hair. The same smile.

"Hey, Abs, I don't want to be dead for real. I've gotta breathe."

Abby apologizes happily, and then releases him.

Tony looks at me. I go numb. I'm paralyzed.

Tony instantly comes to my rescue just like he always has, and always will.

He comes with the cure to my paralysis.

He smiles at me with his Tony-grin, a grin that I have anxiously awaited for a long time.

"Hey, Al."

I sob, and Tony comes over, and his warm embrace assures me that everything is okay. How? I have no idea. I really don't care.

"Tone." I whisper.

"I'm here, Al."

I continue sobbing. For the first time in I don't know how long, the tears are happy tears. Tone is back.

"Yeah, but how?" Tim asks.

Tony let's me go, turns toward Tim, then puts him arm over my shoulder.

"Dr. Levy can answer that your McQuestion, McGee." Tony answers, smirking.

We smile and address the Israeli doctor for the first time.

"Ten years ago, I was a Mossad officer. My partner and I instantly became friends. Her name was Noya. I loved her. We were partners for two years, and then I lost her in a diner shooting. I felt horrible. I lost it. Soon, I found my true calling. To save people from dying. Especially Special Agents. I went to Med School and became a doctor. After Agent DiNozzo made it out of surgery, I realized that he would not be safe until his attacker was caught. I took him into my home so he could rest. He was safe. He spoke very fondly of you all. When I asked him if he had a wife, he said that he was single, but he found his soulmate."

Tony looks at me.

"It's you, Al. I never forgot you. I always hoped that one day, you would come back in my life. Now that you have, it seems like a dream, because it always has been before now. Now that its reality, I am just so happy. The happiest that I've ever been in my life."

I smile and kiss him.

"I don't think that I've ever been happier, either, Tone." I hug him. "Tony, please never leave me again."

Tony hugs me back.

"Never, Al. Never."

Tears continue to fall.

"I'll take that job if it's still available, Gibbs."

Gibbs smiles.

"Well, Ziva sure isn't getting it back."

We all just continue talking and laughing late into the night. The doctor left and we thanked him. We thanked him for bringing our family back to h it should be.

With Ziva gone.

With Tony back, never to leave.

 ** _Author's note: It felt so great to write that! Tony is by far my favorite character, and it was hard to "kill him off", even know I knew all along that he's alright. This story is not quite done yet, but it almost is. There'll be one, two, three more chapters, tops. Sneak peak: Ziva finds out that Tony is okay. Find out how it concludes momentarily. Until then, please like, comment follow, etc. Thank you so much!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Author's note: This story is almost over! :( Its so fun writing these stories, and I can't wait to share the Alice series with you. Until then, for one of the last times for this story, please like, comment, follow, etc! You guys are great! Thanks!_**

 **Tony's POV**

 **NCIS Building**

I've only been "alive" for two days (although I never did die), and already everything is falling back into place.

When I headed to Autopsy, The Autopsy Gremlin was there, and Ducky wasn't.

"Miss me, Jimmy?" I happily asked in greeting.

He looked up, and I saw a smile start to appear, but then something weird happened.

A tear fell, and his already grief-stricken face looked even more depressed. His tired eyes fogged up his glasses.

He looked like a wreck.

"He's not real, Jimmy. You know that. He died. You gotta move on and stop seeing him everywhere you look." Jim whispered to himself.

I frowned. I personally felt like crying then.

My "death" caused my NCIS family so much misery. The whole time that I was with that doctor, I pleaded for just a single phone call, a letter, some sorta secret message, anything. I just needed them to know that I was alright. I'm not the best guy in the world; I'm extremely annoying, in fact. Somehow, however, they have willingly stuck by me for years, and I just couldn't stand the thought of them being in pain for even a second.

"If you talk to them, you could be discovered, Anthony. Then Ziva will kill you. They will never see you again. They'll never heal. I know that it hurts, but you've gotta wait." The doctor would always assure me.

Every time, I would hesitantly agree, but it got harder and harder.

Jimmy's reaction was exactly what I was afraid of.

I watched Jimmy work on the body in front of him, now sloppily grazing the flesh and muscle, instead of the solid motion he usually does when Ducky's not around. I begged myself to come up with a way to prove to him that I am alive.

I just wouldn't listen to myself.

So, I stood. Watching. Watching Jimmy mumble and cry to himself, mourning a loss that didn't happen, oblivious to the fact that the man that he desperately wanted to see was standing right in front of him, crying equally as hard.

"I'm hear, Autopsy Gremlin. I'm alright. A doctor hid me from Ziva. I'm alive."

Jimmy slammed the scalpel down.

"No, he's not, Jimmy! Stop it! You know that he didn't make it."

Jim started sobbing.

"I miss him." Jim whispered.

Not knowing what else to do, I walked over and just hugged him.

"I'm alright, Jimmy. I'm okay." I assured.

Suddenly, realization hit him. One moment, he looked so sad, then the next, he smiled a smile so big, and then he tightened the hug.

"Tony!" He whispered.

I smiled, and he started crying again, but this time with joy.

It felt so good to be here for him now.

"The body that you're working on really helps lighten the mood, doesn't it, Jimmy?"

He laughed, and then broke the hug.

"I know that its not you, but my mind kept telling me the whole time that its you."

I look down at the body.

"That's an old lady, Autopsy Gremlin."

That was two days ago.

Today, I'm with Tim. He seems, off.

We just sat in silence on his couch, watching a movie, but we just aren't actually paying attention to it.

I grab the remote and turn the TV off.

"I was watching that." Tim mumbled.

"What was happening in the movie, then?" I ask.

I missed teasing him like this.

"Uh, the archeologist was taking that gold thing from the boobytrapped cave."

I roll my eyes and chuckle.

"Wrong movie, Elf Lord." I correct.

"Which movie is that, though?" Tim asks.

I stare in disbelief.

"You're kidding, right? Its Indiana Jones. A great movie starring Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones, an archeologist."

Tim nods.

"I never got that scene. I mean, I understand that he wanted to find that artifact for a museum, even though I know that he just wanted the money, but you can't blame him. You have any idea how much that would sell for? Wait, of course not. You're Tony. Anyway, I don't get it from a scientific perspective. All of those gadgets used to kill Indi ran with no source of power. Come to think of it, the whole place had all of those gadgets and chambers, all running on nothing."

I put my arm on his shoulder.

"Its called a movie, Tim. Its fiction."

"I know. Its just factually impossible, as far as I know. Still a great series, though."

I look at him and nod.

"So, what's the McProblem, McGee?"

Tim sighs.

"Abby and I are engaged."

"Huh?" I ask, caught off guard. I was expecting something like "There's this girl that I like, but she doesn't like me back." This? I wasn't expecting them to be ENGAGED! I didn't even know that they're dating.

"Abby and I are engaged, Tony. Just a little before we broke up, I proposed to Abby. We were planning a special party to tell you, but I figured out that she cheated on me when we were almost done setting it up."

Wow.

"She cheated on you, Tim?"

Tim nods.

"Oh. You can't trust her now?'

"No. I can't. I've tried so hard to forgive and forget, but I just can't stop picturing her with that guy. I always pictured her as a great, responsible girl who would never hurt me, but now," He drifts off.

I stare in sympathy, and Tim sighs.

"Guess that that girl just doesn't exist. Maybe, maybe marriage and kids just aren't right for me."

I look at my younger brother as he sits there in pain. The poor guy just wants a girl who he can trust and love. He deserves that woman so much.

"Tim, I'm sorry about Abby. Do you still want to be engaged to her?" I ask.

Tim just sighs and thinks for a while before responding.

"I don't know. I mean, I love her. I really do. She's so, different. I love that. Everyday with her is an adventure, and I just can't let that go. On the other hand, I don't know. She is the kinda girl who just seems like a great friend. Someone you can lean on and trust a little, but not make any commitments with."

Tim pauses for a second and then continues.

"I spent the past few days thinking that you were dead. Those days were the hardest that I have ever been forced to endure. It made me realize something. It made me realize that life is short and tragic. You don't have time to sit and wait for what you desperately want to come. You have to come to it. She's there. I've got her. I feel that if I just get over it, I'll be happy. I don't want to die alone, Tony."

Sympathy for Tim is all that I feel. I forget about my love for Alice. I forget about my excitement for just being alive. I forget about the hate that I feel for Abby at the moment that'll probably go away. Eventually. Now, all I know is that I love this younger and extraordinary man sitting next to me like the baby brother that I've always wanted.

"Tim, you won't be happy if you just settle for anything less than perfect. You deserve perfect, and she is out there. You've just gotta wait. I did, and now I've found the perfect girl. Alice. Finding her and winning her was a bumpy rode, and there literally blood loss as I got to it. My first love left me on the day of our wedding. The second, a girl that I loved with all my heart, was shot in the head right next to me. Third was blown up by terrorists. Fourth, well, she tried to kill me. I loved her so much. She just can't except the fact that her boyfriend is dead. I would've loved to take her in and protect her, but she let me down. She thinks that I'm dead, and all that she feels about that is happiness. Now, all that I feel for her is hate. After all of that, I found the one, and when you do, you'll know. Your perfect girl is out there, Tim. You've just gotta find her."

Tim takes a few seconds to process that. Then, he leans in and hugs me.

"I missed you, Tony. Please, never leave us again."

I allow a single tear to drop.

"Never, kid."

"Thank you, Tony."

 **TONY'S POV**

 **'S GRAVE SITE**

I tighten my grip on the roses that I brought for my mom. It's been a while since I visited her.

Like always, I allow myself to cry, something I do quite rarely. Like she did when she was alive, mom always comforts me.

"I dodged a lot of bullets this week, mom. Okay, bad choice of words, because the one bullet aimed towards me found a nice home in my chest. I'm not quite sure how I'm alive. Don't know why I'm not in your arms again. For a while there, I thought that I was done. Thought that it was time to come back to you, Paula, and Kate, and never leave. Guess that I was wrong. I think that I know why I'm still here, mom. You knew that it's not over for me yet. It's because the one that I truly love is back, isn't it? The girl that I was made for. I never loved any woman as much as I loved you, until now. Mom, I just wanted to say thank you. For everything. When you were alive, you were the best mom I could've ever asked for. You still are. You always will be. You've guided me and protected me, and now you've found a great woman to take your place. Well, mom, no one could ever take your place. You're my mother, and I love you. You've introduced me to this beautiful and amazing woman, and I will stick by her side until she pushes me away. Knowing how smart you are, I'm sure that the woman that you chose will never leave, though, won't she?"

I just stand for a little while. I stare down at her grave. I choke through the tears,

"Thank you, mom. I love you."

Mom is the first woman to have broken my heart. She died. Then Kate and Paula left, too.

I forgive them all, because it all led to now, the best time of my life.

I get to fall in love with Allison Marie Foster all over again.

Suddenly, I feel like a little kid again. The little kid that found his dead mom.

" _Take a bath!" One kid yelled at me._

 _"Yeah, and get new clothes some time!" Another yells._

 _Riding on the bus to my home, to my mama, is torture. The kids just don't understand. They don't understand that this is how abused and neglected kids look._

 _Dad beats mama and I all the time. I hear them screaming all the time. I flinch, and then I cry when I hear the sound of bone hitting bone. It hurts hearing mama being beaten, knowing that I can't do anything._

 _Mama says that we're gonna run away today. Run away from dad, away from the torture that our lives are. Mama will protect me._

 _The bus stops at my stop. I race off, ignoring the teasing of the other kids._

 _"Mama!" I yell, unable to control the excitement. She's the only person who loves me, and seeing her, it makes life okay. Better than okay. Seeing mama's smile makes me forget about all the physical and emotional pain I endure everyday._

 _I walk around our house, calling for mama. It frightens me, having her not answer. Since I started kindergarten, dad would be at the bar, and mama would be waiting for me in the kitchen with a snack. Now, I can't find her._

 _As I make my way up the stairs, I hear rattling, and my mother screaming. I run up the stairs._

 _"MAMA!" I scream._

 _"No, Anthony, don't come up here!" She screams back._

 _More terrified shrieking._

 _"You've better come up here if you wanna see your mother alive again, Anthony." A deep and unfamiliar male voice yells."_

 _Mama shrieks some more._

 _"NO, ANTHONY! STAY AWAY" I hear her muffled scream._

 _Then a gunshot._

 _Ignoring all my instinct, all common sense, I run up the last two steps faster than I ever have in my whole life. I trip, and then I hear the sound of glass breaking._

 _I barge into mama and dad's room, and I stare at the horrifying scene._

 _Mama with a single gunshot wound on her right temple, with blood seeping out._

 _"MAMA!" I scream again, but this time through sobs._

That was so many years ago, but I remember that day, that feeling, like it just happened a minute ago. I'd say the usual phrase "Like it was yesterday", but it's even clearer than that.

My mom's killer was a man that dad conned. He told dad that if he didn't pay up, mom would die. He didn't lie.

The man shot mom, and then jumped out the window. He crashed through glass, and then fell four stories down. Yeah. He died.

"I miss you, mom."

I put the flowers down, and then I turn around, and I see Alice, in the parking lot (it's a small cemetery). She's leaning on the hood of her car, silently waiting, with a tear rolling down her face.

I walk to her.

"You're here."

She nods.

"Sorry if you wanted to be alone. I had Tim track you. Wanted to see you, and to let you know that I'm here for you. I always will be. You're right, Tony. I will never leave you again, and I'll never push you away."

I walk over and hug her.

She kisses me, and I kiss back.

"Wanna hang out, Tony?" Alice asks.

"Yeah. I wanna meet your daughter."

She laughs.

"Alright. It's a date with my daughter. If you break her heart, though, I'll kill you. " Alice replies sarcastically.

"Cute, Al. Very cute."

"Aw. You remembered my nickname, Tone."

I stare into her eyes.

"I took the bus here, so I don't have a car."

Alice smiles.

"Then get in mine, Sunshine."

"Sunshine?"

"I don't know. Just get in." She replies, laughing.

I smile, and then I look back at mom's grave. She found the one for me. I'm finally with the one for me.

"Thanks, mom." I thank, getting into Alice's car.

 ** _AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, we're almost done, unless you guys want it to end here? If you guys think that this is a good stopping point, just let me know, and I'll make a quick epilogue to rap this story up. Please like, comment, follow, etc. Thanks!_**


	9. Chapter 9

**Alice's POV**

 **Alice's Apartment**

I park my car in my parking spot and wait. Tony's been quite, which is something that he never does.

"You okay, Tony?" I ask.

Tony sighs and continues to look out the window.

How can I help if he won't let me?

"Tony?"

I hear him mumble something sadly.

"What was that?"

Tony sighs again and looks at me with tears flowing down his face.

"Tony?" I ask as I reach over and hug him.

Tony keeps crying and hugs back.

I've known Tony for years, and not once have I seen him cry. Except, except for when he thought about his mom.

Oh, man.

"Tone, it's okay." I attempt to comfort.

I'm failing miserably.

"I was there when mom died. I heard the gunshot. Saw the guy who killed her, broken, right next to our house. I saw her bloody corpse. I should've done something. I had the chance, and I didn't take it. That cost mom her life."

I sigh. As an FBI agent, I talk some sense into survivor's who blame themselves for the loss of loved ones all the time. It's basically part of my day-to-day routine. I have a PHD in it, if talking sense into people is a college major.

"Tony, it is not your fault, and you know it. She was dead the moment the killer broke in. Look, I know that that's not what you wanted to hear, but its the truth, and you've got to forgive yourself and move on. Really, there's nothing to forgive yourself about. It's only the killer's fault."

Tony lets go of me.  
"Yeah. His fault, and Senior's." He answers,

I look at Tony sadly.

"You still call your dad 'Senior'?"

"Yeah. He abused and neglected me, and he played a role in my mother's death. He made her miserable. He made me miserable."  
"See? Your dad started the whole mess, and the killer finished it. Where do you join in? What part do you think that you played?"

Tony looks me in the eye as he answers,

"The bystander. I was the bystander. I knew it was happening. I heard it happening, and I did nothing to stop it. What if I had gotten there in time to save her? What if I was there-"  
Getting really frustrated and miserable, I stop him.

"Yeah, what if you were there?! You tell me what you could have done. You were a little boy, and this man was an adult. If your mother, who if I recall correctly, was a workout addict and an extremely strong woman, couldn't fight him off, what could you have done? He would've killed you, too, Tony. He might've killed you first so that your mother could watch. Two innocent people would've died that day, and the death of the little boy wouldn't have accomplished anything."

Tony nods.

"Has it ever occurred to you that that may not be a bad thing? I'm one person. One miserable person who just wants his mother back. What'd be so bad about me being with mama again? If I died that day, I wouldn't have left anyone behind. I had no friends, and you know what dad thought about me. Nothing. He wouldn't have cared. I would've followed the one person who loved me and looked out for me. I act like I'm happy, but it's just a mask. I miss her, and I just want her back, Alice."

I start crying.

"I love you, Tony. She wasn't the only one who cared for you.

"Well, you didn't know me then. It wouldn't be a loss to you, because you wouldn't know me. You'd see it on the news, think 'Aw, that's a shame.', and you'd think nothing else of it. Honestly, I wish that I did die that day. That I died with my mother. Or, if I didn't die then, I wish that I would've died when Ziva shot me. I want her back."

With that, a sad, fake, fantasy world enters my head. A world without Tony. A world without his laugh. His smile. His happy voice. His eyes. What if all of that was taken from this world that day?

Gibbs would've drowned. Innocent people would be in prison, and guilty people would be free. Tim would've been alone after he shot that cop. Who would've opened the plague letter if there was no such thing as Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo? Tim? Gibbs? That Kate girl? Could've been an old man who smoked. Could've been a pregnant woman.

I can't imagine how life would be if I never saw Tony's smile or heard his laugh. My life would be so empty. So, dark.

So different.

"If you died that day, if you died any day, you would leave people behind. Gibbs, Abby, Ducky, Jimmy, Tim, and I would all be broken. No matter what your biological family thinks of you, just know that we consider you family, and that if you let us in, we will never hurt you. We will never let you fall. Know that someday, you could have a woman by your side who will love you and care for you forever. Someone you could grow old with and have kids with you. Know that I would gladly be that woman someday, Tony. Know that you have nothing to be ashamed of. Not one thing."

Tony smiles at me.

"I'm good with now if you'd like." He replies. Sarcastically. I think.

"We should date first, Tony." I reply.

Tony laughs.

"I was joking."

I roll my eyes.

"So, you ready to meet my daughter?"

Tony's eyes light up the way I like them to.

"Very."

"Okay. Let's go."

 _ **ALICE'S** **APARTMENT**_

"Erin, mommy's home!" I yell as I walk in the doorway.

The tiny footsteps of my daughter fill the apartment, and I am soon greeted by my seven-year-old daughter.

"Hi, mommy." She chirps.

"Hi, honey. This is our guest, Tony DiNozzo. I told you about him. Can you say 'hi' to him, please?"

Tony waves at Erin, and she motions for Tony to come closer, and he does.

"Hi, Tony. I'm Erin Jane Foster, well, McArthy, but I call myself Erin Jane Foster. I'm seven years old. My mommy likes you."  
Tony laughs.

"Well, I like your mommy, too. A lot." He replies, looking a little at her, and a little at me.

"Ooh. Are you gonna get married?" She asks in her squeaky mocking voice.

Tony looks up at me and smiles as he answers,

"I'd say so. Some day."

 _Same here_ , I think to myself.

"Well, Erin, Tony and I have gotta visit somebody, so I'm gonna take you to Olive's house."

"Okay." Erin replies.

 ** _ZIVA'S POV  
JAIL_**  
"Ziva? Ziva! Have you listened to one word that I've said?" My junkie cell-mate, Sarah asks.

"No, because I do not care about your son dying from cancer. When it affects me, let me know, but until then, leave me alone." I mumble.

I walk to the other side of my tiny cell and lay down on my hard bed. Looking up at Sarah's bed right above me, I realize just how much I miss everything. Everyone.

By everyone, I mean Michael. He was my whole world. My whole life. He was stolen from me, and I want him back.

"David!" The prison guard yells, pronouncing my last name as the male first name.

"Da-veed. The 'a' sounds like 'ah', and the 'id' sounds like 'eed'. It is not that hard!"

The prison guard, Courtney, looks at me with her usual anger.

"You've got two visitors."  
 _UGH! JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!_

"Tell them to leave. Tell them that I do not want to see them."  
Courtney smiles. She smiles with that weird mocking smile she does sometimes.

Uh-oh. What happened?

"Aww, Ziver? You don't want to see me? I thought that you loved me." The most loud, irritating, nail biting voice mocks.

I ignore it at first. I hear things a lot.

The voice I can ignore, but not what appears next. Not the face. The bright, shiny, "oh the world is made of sugar!" face that I've come to despise.

The face of Tony DiNozzo.

So much anger, so much uncertainty, washes over me. HOW IS TONY ALIVE?! I KILLED HIM!

I shot him! I shot him in the heart! He died on the operating table! How is he here, perfectly healthy, and smiling? What went wrong?

I look for the prison guard, and I notice that she left, so I make my move.

I sprint over, and wrap my hands around his neck, chocking him.

This is where he falls. This is where Michael's death gets avenged once and for all. This is where so much pain and confusion dies with my nemesis.

This is where Anthony DiNozzo dies.

Or so I thought.

Next thing I know, Alice, who was standing next to Tony, grabs my hands and pulls them off his neck, causing me great pain as my arms slam against the bars. Next, with me off-guard, she grips a big chunk of my hair and slams my face against the bars.

My nose starts bleeding. It made solid contact with the bars. My nose is bleeding, maybe broken, my face hurts, and my arms are stiff, and probably swollen and bruised.

"Guard!" My cell mate screams.

"She's on a break! A break that Tony and I sent her on!" Alice yells.

Then she looks at me, and whispers,

"Oh. Poor Ziva. All alone. No one can defend you. Everyone who cared for you is dead. The only person paid to help you is gone. She knows what's going on right now, by the way. She. Doesn't. Care. No one does. No one cares about you, and no one cares that you're in jail. If you die here, no one will care. You. Are all. Alone. Too bad the few people who did care about you hates you now. Do you remember? Do you remember when people cared? You must miss it. Too bad you took it away from yourself."  
I look her in the eyes.

My body aches all over. I begin to accept that I lost.

My friend, the man that I trusted more than anything, killed Michael, and got away with it. I am the one who is in so much pain. The one that suffered so much in so little time. I am the one who got punished. Not the killer. The one who deserved to be punished got away, and the victim, that's me, got punished.

Wait a minute! I'm Ziva David. Although my soft American instincts tell me to walk away, my much stronger Israeli instincts tell me that that's an injustice, and that it's my job to fix it.

Tony took the man that I love away from me, so I'm gonna take the one that he loves away from him.

Oh, poor Alice. All alone. The only people who care about her are soft. Okay, she's not necessarily "alone". That'd be me. Look, I'm trying to sound cool, alright?  
Anyway, she's all alone.

"I got my own body guard, Zi. She's a ninja, too." Tony mocks.

Ooh. Ninja to ninja. I like it.

"Yeah, Tony, I'm done with her so you can, ya know, have her if you'd like." Alice says awkwardly. She's still gripping my hair, and she's getting ready to, I guess, pass me over to Tony.

"Yeah, I'll, take her." Tony answers, almost as awkwardly as Alice.

I roll my eyes as Alice actually pulls my hair, and my head, to Tony.

"Uh, support the, head. Or not. Bang it against the wall one or, eighty times, if you'd like." Alice jokes.

"I've got it Al, thanks." Tony thanks, and Alice nods.

Tony brings me to him, and looks me in the eyes.

"You failed."

Then he just stares.

"Okay? Anything else?" I ask.

"Uh, no. Alice just about covered it. Can we, share next time, please, Alice?" He asks.

Alice laughs.

"Tell you what. Next time you kill your friend's friend in self-defense, and your friend tries to kill you, you can say everything."  
"That's all that I ask." Tony answers.

"It'll probably happen, Tony. Soon. I'm getting out of here, and I'm coming after Alice."

"If you hurt her, I swear I'll-"

"You'll what? Get your neck broken while trying to defend her? If you want to die, be my guest, but at least let me cause it."

Tony looks at me intimidatingly.

"You just threatened a Federal Agent. Guess who's getting even closer watch? It's you."

I laugh.

"We'll see."

Tony nods.

"I can't wait to see you fall, Ziva. I've got a front row seat."  
I smile.

"Well, that seat may be like the seat in Austin Powers that drops into a pit of fire."  
"You just ruined Austin Powers for me."

"That was the plan, DiNozzo."

Tony smiles.

"Well, I've gotta go. Have fun." He mocks, then walks off.

Alice walks behind him, and waves at me.

When the door slams behind them, I break down.

I sob over every little thing going on in my life. I probably have broken bones, and that hurts, but what hurts the most is the emotional pain that I'm enduring.

"Tony will pay. Alice will die!" I whisper through my tears.

I will not go back on my word this time.

 _ **TONY'S POV**_  
 _ **RESTERAUNT**_

Alice and I stare at each other.

She's so beautiful. So unique.

"I love you, Al. If anything happens, I need you to know that."

She looks at me, confused.

"I love you, too, Tony, but why are you saying that so much?"  
A tear falls down my face as I think about exactly why.

"I'm scared, Alice", is what I want to say. "I'm scared of what may happen. I lost you once, and I don't want to lose you again. You don't know Ziva like I do. You don't understand that you are in so much danger. You don't understand that I can't take the thought of losing you again. You don't get how badly I want to run away with you and Erin, and get you out of danger. Out of Nick and Ziva's horrible arms, and into my protective, loving arms. I don't ever want to let you go. If only you understood that."

Instead, I just say,

"I'm worried about what Ziva said. What if she actually comes after you?"  
Alice half-smiles sadly.

"She won't get to me, Tony. I'll be alright. I'm fighting for so much, and I won't lose. I promise."

I nod, and I make my best attempt to believe her, and I manage to calm down.

Until the phone call came, that is.

The screen on my phone said, "Cortney, Jail Cop", the prison guard's clever name on my contact list.

"DiNozzo." I answer.

"Hello, Tony. I've got a mess on the floor for you to clean up." Ziva greets on the phone.

Paranoid, I look over at Alice, and note that she looks perfectly fine, just confused.

"Ziva? What are you talking about?"  
I begin breathing heavily. She's gonna come after Alice! Alice isn't safe here! I have to get her out of here.

"I got out, just like I said. I killed Courtney, and now I'm coming after Alice. Oh, you're food's coming." Ziva answers.

Then, the waitress comes over and brings out our food.

"How did you know, Ziva?" I yell.

I hear her laugh over the phone.

"I'm closer than you think, Tony. Enjoy your burger and fries." Ziva mocks, then hangs up.

I look down at my plate, not remembering what I ordered.

I ordered a burger and fries.

She's here.

"Tony? What happened?" Alice asks, sounding somewhat frightened.

Pure terror washes over me.

I can't lose Alice, too! I've gotta get her out of here!

"Alice! Come on! Ziva's here!" I yell, unable to control the volume.

"What?" She questions as I lead her out the door.

I keep on running, with her right by my side.

When we get to the parking lot, my nightmare becomes reality.

There Ziva stood, holding a gun up, pointed at Alice.

"Told you I'd get my revenge." She mocks in the most cold, expressionless voice that I've ever heard.

Then, a gunshot rings out, and all that I hear next is Alice's scream, then silence after the bullet hits flesh.

 _ **AUTHOR'S NOTE: WOW! THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR YOUR REVIEWS! I COULDN'T BELIEVE ALL THE REVIEWS THAT I GOT WITH REQUESTS FOR MORE! THANK YOU SO MUCH! I'LL UPDATE SOON, BUT FOR NOW, PLEASE LIKE, COMMENT, FOLLOW, ETC. YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST!**_


	10. Chapter 10

_**Authors Note: I wanted to publish this chapter earlier, but I went through some serious writer's block for quite a while, and everything that I wrote was very low-quality and unrealistic. Have you guys ever had one of those? Anyway, here's this chapter. Enjoy!**_ _ ****_

 ** _Tony's POV_** ****

 ** _Parking Lot_** ****

The sickening sound of a bullet being fired invades my ears yet again. Warm blood splatters on my face like it did four years ago.

The woman that I love falls to the ground again.

I watch Alice fall. I'm unable to watch but also unable to move.

"Alice!"

I fall to my knees, and with shaky hands, I press down on the bullet hole in her chest.

After I realize how much blood she is losing, I press down very firmly, and Alice winces in pain.

"Al, you've gotta stay with me!" I yell.

She stares at me, and her eyes tell me what I know and what she knows.

Unless she gets medical help within the next minute or two, Alice won't be staying.

"Tony, I'm so sorry I left you. It was the biggest mistake I ever made, and I've always regretted it. If I could go back in time, I would easily walk away from him, and I'd never look back." She mumbles.

A tear falls down my face for the woman that I've lost so many times. I can't lose her again. I need her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Why do I keep on losing Alice?

"No. You've got nothing to be sorry about, Al. I'm sorry that I brought you into this mess."

If I hadn't killed Michael, Alice would never have gotten shot. Never would've had to endure the pain I've caused her in this short period of time.

I never would've met her.

That alternative sounds much better than this.

"Not your fault, Tony." Alice tells me as blood begins to drip out of her lips.

Soon, she starts to lose her grip on my hand. She gets even paler.

I sob as I watch the life slowly drain out of Alice.

As she loses her grip on life, I press down harder, and I tell her the words that I wanted to say to her every day for the rest our lives.

Just this one last time will have to do.

"I love you, Alice."

She tries to say something, but she just coughs out even more blood.

Then suddenly, Alice stops breathing. I push down harder, but she doesn't wince. Her bleeding slows, and her heart stops.

"Alice? Alice stay with me!" I yell.

I begin sobbing even harder, and then I begin to the only thing that I can think about doing.

I frantically push on her chest, pleading for her heart to magically start working again.

"Alice, come on!"

Why do I keep on losing Alice? I lost her so many years ago, and right after I finally got her back, she was stolen again in the cruelest way possible.

Mom, Kate, Paula, and now Alice.

They have all left me. They were all stolen from me.

Why can't I just be happy?

"Alice, please!" I beg.

She still doesn't respond.

I wish desperately that I could tell her that I would take care of her and love her for the rest of our lives. I would do so regardless of what she said, but I wish that I could tell her that. I also wish that I could make her as happy as she made me. At this point in time, I can only guess if I made Alice happy. If I stood by her when she truly needed me. If I made her laugh as much as I should, and if I showed her how much that I loved her on a day to day basis. It was my goal, and I don't know if I succeeded.  
All I know is that she did.

I sob even harder than before, and I stare at her eyes. Her eyes that were once so full of life, love, and laughter.

Now, they just burn a deep hole into my heart.

Now, they just stare blankly at me.

That's all they can do now, and now that's all that Alice can do.

 _ **Ziva's POV**_ __

 _ **Restaurant**_ __ _ **Parking Lot**_ __

After I hung up on Tony, he was filled with so much fear. So much sorrow. So much regret.

It was beautiful.

Ugh. I just said that something about Tony DiNozzo is beautiful.

Alice must've banged my head against the bars harder than I thought.

Speaking of Alice, I actually do feel bad about what I'm gonna do to her. I have some regret, actually. She didn't cause any of this. She's an innocent bystander, soon to become a victim.

Oh well. You've gotta snap some necks and shoot some hearts on your way to victory.

It's her fault for falling in love with someone as unreliable as Tony.

Soon enough, a frightened Tony races into the parking lot, with a confused Alice right by his side.

They stop right where they are, paralyzed, when they see me, with a gun in my hand.

Tony's eyes plead me to stop and to walk away, but I aim for Alice's chest, and I pull the trigger.

Blood splatters on Tony's face, and his eyes show absolute terror.

Tony falls to his knees, and he puts pressure on her chest, right where the wound is.

I hide behind Alice's car, and I watch the show from behind the glass.

They talk for a while, but I don't pay attention to the words. I just pay attention to the actions.

Tony sobs more and more as time quickly expires for Alice. She just lays there, with pain and sadness in her eyes.

"I love you, Alice." Tony whispers.

Then, all the pain leaves Alice's mangled body, and darkness permanently replaces it.

Tony sobs harder than I've ever seen anyone sob.

Then, he begins CPR. His actions show hope, but his eyes show defeat.

He knows that Alice is dead.

I smile.

Alice is dead.

 ** _Tim's POV_** ****

 ** _NCIS Squad Room_**

Gibbs and I were alerted by Ziva's escape, but SECNAV had enough. We weren't allowed to go.

DOD got assigned to the case.

Then, when my computer told me about Ziva's call (we're tracking her behind everyone's back, of course), we listened to it, and we were absolutely petrified.

Abby, Gibbs, Ducky, Jimmy, Vance, and I all gathered in the squad room.

No one said a word as we waited.

We waited for maybe five minutes, and then I got the call.

"Special Agent McGee." I hurriedly answer.

"Tim." Tony whispers on the other line.

"Tony, is everything alright?" I ask.

He sighs, and I hear him sniffle, and his voice and his breathing make it obvious that he's fighting back tears.

"Alice, she's..." Then he stops.

"Alice is what?" I beg, with my heart racing.

Everyone stares at me, frightened. Even Vance shows some curiosity.

Tony takes a deep breath.

"Alice is dead, Tim. Ziva shot her."

My eyes widen. and a tear falls down my eyes.

"Oh, Tony, I'm sorry."

Tony starts to quietly cry, and I wish that I was there for my brother.

"Please just tell everyone, and tell Gibbs that I'll be gone for a while. I've got a few things to take care of." Tony whispers, with anger suddenly accompanying his heartbroken voice.

"Tony, DOD is investigating this! Ziva will get caught! Please don't go after he-" Then Tony hangs up.

NO!

"Timmy?" Abby asks.

I look up to see everyone looking at me, begging for answers.

"Ziva killed Alice, and Tony went after her."

 _ **Tony's POV**_ __

 _ **Erin's Bus Stop**_ __

Soon after calling Tim, an ambulance came.

I guess that someone heard the shot and called 911.

Took them long enough.

They took Alice away, and when they offered me to come, I declined.

I already know that truth.

Alice is dead.

I don't want to be there when the doctor officially pronounces her dead.

I got up, took Alice's keys out of her purse, got in her car, and I turned it on.

I drove to the only place I could think of.

Now, here I am.

Here I am at Erin's bus stop.

I pull a mirror and some wipes out of Alice's glove compartment.

I clean the blood of my face, clean my hair up, and I take off my jacket.

Although my face and hair are, for the most part, fine, my pants are still soaked with blood.

I wipe them off as best as I can, but now the originally tan pants now look pink in some areas. Finally, I decide to actually take off the pants and put them on backwards. Next, I find a pen, and I make a big hole in my sleeves in them, put my finger in the hole to make it bigger, and, eventually, rip the cuffs off. They were just to soaked with blood.

I carefully tie the jacket around my waist, making sure that no spot with blood shows.

I look ridiculous, but at least the blood isn't visible, and that's all that matters.

Soon, Erin's bus comes, and she walks out.

Alice's daughter crosses the street, laughing.

The wind blows in her pretty, dark brown braid that falls down her shoulder, just like Alice's did when we were teenagers.

I sigh get out of the car. Erin sees me instantly and smiles a very warm smile, just as her mother always did.

"Hi, Tony!" She yells happily, then runs up and hugs me.

'Hey, Erin. How are you?"  
"Good." She answers in her loud yet adorable voice.

She looks at Alice's car, then back at me.

"Is mommy here?" She asks.

I frown, and I kneel down so that I can look her in the eyes.

"No, Erin she's not. Mommy, she won't be coming back." I answer in a very sad voice.

"Where is she?" Erin asks, with a tear rolling down her cheek.

I sigh.

"Well, honey, there's no easy way to say this. Your mommy is dead."

Erin's big, green eyes widen, and she starts crying harder.

Tears start to flow down my face, too, and I pull Erin over to me and hug her.

This crying little girl is all that I have left of Alice.

I try desperately to comfort the poor little girl who just lost her mother.

This little girl is all that I have now. She's what I'll fight for for the rest of my life.

Erin was Alice's baby, and I will love and care for her like she's my own.

I'll protect her. I'll care for her.

I'll care for her just as Alice did.

Alice depends on me to do that now.

I won't let her down again.

 _ **Author's note: Yeah, I know that that's pretty short, but it seemed like where I should end it. By the way, for those of you who read my other Fanfic, Blood Ran Cold, did you notice what I did? I copied the very end of it,**_ _ ****_ _ **switched it around a bit, and put it here. It's to symbolize how much of a tragic déjà vu this is for Tony. When Kate died, that was his POV in my fanfic, and now it'd be like that for this loss. Anyway, please comment, like etc! You're amazing. (One or two chapters to go)**_


	11. Chapter 11

**_Tony's POV_**

 ** _Tony's Apartment_**

Neglect isn't anything new to my vocabulary, to my experience, nor to my life, but when I witness it, it still manages to make my blood run cold.

Nick didn't care that Alice died. No, he didn't care about Erin or her feelings, either. He only cared about a meeting with him, an insurance agent, and a thick stack of Alice's money in his pocket.

He has always made me sick.

Without so much as a weep, a hug to his daughter, a goodbye, not even a moment of silence, he burst out the door, leaving his daughter with his rival.

Luckily, that "rival" loves her, and knelt down to hug her as she began to sob again.

Now, the rival brought his daughter to his home.

I open the door to my apartment, and Erin walks in and looks around.

"My bedroom is to the right. You can sleep there tonight. I've got the couch," I tell her.

Erin turns around.

"You sure? It's your house."

I nod.

"Yeah. But she was your mom, and I just want you to be as comfortable and happy as possible right now. Besides, the couch is comfortable, too. That's why I bought it."

A tear rolls down Erin's face.

"You are making me as comfortable as possible right now, and it isn't because of a bed. It feels great to finally feel loved by someone besides mom. Well, her and Olive. Thank you."

I nod.

"Anytime, kiddo."

She smiles sadly, and goes to my room to drop her suitcase off and get settled in.

I walk around for a while, just thinking for a while about Ziva and Alice, until I hear a knock at my door.

I open it, and behind the door is Tim.

"Oh. Look what's behind door number three. What can I do ya for, Tim?" I ask, trying to lighten the mood to make sure that whatever conversation he's going to start won't be anything tragic.

"Just wanted to see Erin. Check in on her. Stuff like that."

I nod, and let him in.

"Uh, she's getting set up, so just make yourself comfortable. Want anything?" I ask, gesturing to the kitchen.

Tim shakes his head.

"No, thanks."

I nod.

"So, how's it going?" I ask.

He shrugs, and I decide to wait for a few seconds before pushing him.

He takes to long, so I ask,

"Anything wrong?"

He shrugs again.

"Just Abby issues, but you're taking to much right now to hear about my relationship problems."

"Hey, I'm never to busy to help out a friend. What's wrong?"

Tim sighs, and I wait for him to talk.

After a few seconds, he does.

"She hasn't been as… sympathetic as me. It wouldn't be a problem, since I'm being a little to sympathetic, but she almost doesn't seem to care about what you're going through. She's complaining more than anything. Saying that, since we're engaged, this is the last thing that she should be dealing with. She's a whole different person now. Anyway, we got in a huge fight, and she stormed out, saying that she'd be back in an hour or two. I waited for her for five hours, and when she finally came back, she smelled heavily of cologne, and her shirt was, ruffled."

"Tim?" I ask as he finishes.

He nods.

"She's going back to her old habits. You were right. I just can't trust her. It's just, I love her. For so long, I was sure that she was the one, but now, I don't know what to think, about anything. I mean, one girl that I trusted with my life killed my best friend's girlfriend, and my girlfriend is cheating on me again. It's like she's, indecisive or something. She loves me, she hates me, I'm the perfect boyfriend, I'm not good enough. She puts me through constant pain, yet I still love her with all my heart. I think for a second, 'wow! I can't believe that she just did or said that", but then, my next thought is our times together. No matter what she does to me, I just can't hate her. We were friends for six years, and I loved her all this time. We grew together, and we shared so many moments. Brother sister moments. Now, she did one of the worst things, but yet I still love her. I know that if I somehow look past this and take her back, then I will never be happy. On the other hand, if I let her go now, I'll never have the girl that I love, and I'll never be happy then, either. I don't know what to do."

I nod.

"Tim, you know that Abby is like a sister to me, right?"

Tim nods.

"You also know that I'd do anything for her?"

He nods again.

"Yet, from the very beginning, I knew that that woman is just not reliable or trustworthy. If you want a lying, cheating, somewhat rude, crazy, and controlling woman to marry you, then by all means. However, that isn't you."

Tim nods.

"Just, don't marry her if you can't trust her."

"Thanks, Tony."

I nod.

"There is someone out there that you can love and trust, Tim. That woman will love you. Don't settle for Abby."

Tim stares off, and we get absorbed into our own thoughts as we wait for Erin.

 **Three Days Later…**

 **Alice's Funeral**

As soon as we get to the funeral, Erin runs over to Alice's coffin. She whispers to it, and I decide to leave her alone for a while.

I walk around, and I find Olive, Alice's Aunt Olivia.

When she sees me, she smiles to me sadly and hugs me.

"Oh, Tony. It's been way to long," She whispers.

I nod.

"Yeah. I missed you Olive. I'm so sorry for your loss," I whisper back.

"Thank you. I'm sorry, too," She answers, and we break the hug.

We smile sadly at each other, and I look at Alice's coffin again, noticing Erin crying on it.

"What's going to happen to Erin?" I ask, almost scared of what the answer will be.

She sighs.

"Well, Nick doesn't want her anymore, which I'm sure you could imagine. I would take her, but I have to many health problems to raise a child. I'll hopefully be around for several more years, but I just can't take the process of raising a child now. Eren, Alice's sister, doesn't want her, so that's out. It looks like Erin will go into foster care," She answers, with sadness in her voice.

I look over at Erin as Olive tells me this. How can Nick be so cruel? How could Alice fall in love with him? Why does such a sweet, innocent girl have to be tortured like that?

All the questions and uncertainty kills me, because that little girl is all that I have left, and seeing her in pain puts me in ten times more pain.

All that I know is that I have to find the perfect family for her.

Big or small, that family just has to be loving.

Wow, I love that little girl, like, like a daughter. My little girl.

Alice's daughter is my little girl.

Maybe she should actually be my little girl.

"No. She can't go into foster care. She needs to stay here, with familiar surroundings and familiar people. I'll take care of her until, well, until we decide what's best for her."

"Are you offering to be her foster dad?" Olive questions.

I nod.

"Yeah, and if I decide that I'm ready, and if she approves, maybe she'll be my adopted daughter, but I just have to figure it out first."

Olive smiles and hugs me again.

"Thank you, Tony. Alice was so lucky to have you. You loved my niece and treated her well, and I'm sure that you will treat her daughter well, too."

I smile.

"Hey, Alice was your daughter. I know that your sister gave birth to her, but you still adopted her and raised her. You raised her well, too."

She breaks the hug, and I notice tears running down her face.

"I know. She was the best daughter I could've asked for. Alice's sister hates me, but Alice, she always accepted me as her new mother, and now… Ugh I just can't believe that she's gone." Olive whispers through the tears.

I break down with her, and we hug once again, sharing the same grief.

The same sorrow.

The same loss.

The same broken heart.

 **A few minutes later…**

After all of the fair wells were said and done, the soldiers who came fold up the flag on Alice's casket, and the little girl grasps the last thing that she has of her mother for dear life.

I don't know if it's for her life, or for the hope for her mother's life.

All I know is that I kneel down, and she lets me hold half of the flag, and she cries with me.

"Thank you for making my mommy as happy as you did."

I nod as I continue to cry with her.

Soon, she hugs me, with the warm embrace causing so much comfort. _It will be okay_ , I tell myself.

Then, she whispers something to me, something that everyone dreams of hearing, but that I hear so rarely.

Although a woman may say it, she doesn't mean it, and it doesn't matter.

Yet, when this little girl whispered it, it broke my heart in a new way, but fixed it a little at the same time.

She whispers,

"I love you, Tony."

 ** _Ziva's POV_**

 ** _Parking Lot Right Next To The Funeral_**

I'm hiding right behind a car right next to the graveyard. Right next to the action.

I've got a front row seat.

I look over, and I find Tony talking to an old woman. He looks over at the coffin, with a little girl right next to it.

Probably Alice's daughter, Erin.

Okay, that's sad. Back to Tony.

I notice him hugging the old lady. Comforting her, even though he never comforted me.

Well, except for, several times.

Wow.

Come to think of it, he was more caring, loyal, and, I can't believe I'm saying this, charming, then Michael.

I haven't even thought about Michael for a while, come to think of it.

Even when I have, my thought were mostly about the possibility that he actually did kill someone. The fact that, that he could've attacked Tony. That Tony was actually trying to defend himself.

Wait, that makes so much more sense!

My boyfriend tried to kill Tony, and, and I tried to kill him. Then, I killed his girlfriend.

I've only killed the innocent, and only defended the guilty.

With realization setting in, I look over at Tony and Erin again.

Erin, the poor little girl, continues to sob over her mother's grave.

Where is her father? Does she not have one? Did I just make her an orphan?

I killed this little girl's mother!

How did I not realize this sooner?

My own tears start to form, and I look over at Tony.

My blurry vision just barely makes out the depressing sight of a broken old woman, and a broken man, sobbing and embracing each other with a bond formed by similar suffering.

This vision haunts me as I ask myself,

What have I done?!

 **A few minutes later…**

The little girl is handed a folded up flag, and Tony goes to comfort her again.

The little girl cries again.

Her little face turns to my direction, and I stare at that beautiful, youth-filled face, and I just can't can't get over how much pain I caused a little girl.

This isn't what was supposed to happen.

I sob harder, and I struggle to remain silent, but I lose as I see the little girl's lips form the words,

"I love you."

With that, I gasp in pure agony and regret, and I immediately regret my decision.

Everyone hears the loud sob, and turn to me, and they see me.

Tony's red and puffy face makes the most anger- filled face that I've ever seen, and he runs straight towards me.

With my heart pounding, and tears still pouring out of my eyes, I sprint out from behind the car, and into the surrounding woods, with the enraged Tony right on my tail.

 ** _Tony's POV_**

 ** _Woods_**

I hear a loud yet familiar sob in the distance, I look over to see the source, and when I spot it, rage is all that I feel.

Everything else in the world disappears, and all of my focus, all of my vision, and my whole world focuses on the face of my best friend's killer.

She runs for so long, periodically looking back at me with her tear-soaked, wild face with her wild eyes.

My legs burn. My whole body aches. Yet, my mind, my will, it has never, ever been more focused or determined, so I ignore the sharp physical and mental pain, and I press on, until Ziva looks back again, and she falls.

She falls, and she tumbles right down the hill she was running down.

A pedestrian, aka a tree, stops her path with a loud, painful-sounding crunch and thud, accompanying it.

I run down the hill, and she struggles as she gets up, and she gasps for breathe.

I reach into my jacket pocket, and I pull out my gun and point it right at her, right at her heart, right where she shot Alice.

"Tony! Tony, put it down!" she shouts.

I just stand there, and she gasps.

"Please!"

I continue to stand.

"Tony, I'm so sorry."

I shake with rage, and I struggle to hold the gun at least somewhat steady.

"Yeah, like I was sorry? How many times did I have to tell you that it was self defense? Well guess what. When you killed Alice, it wasn't self defense. It was anger. Your self-induced justice. Why shouldn't I get mine?" I shout.

She puts her hands up.

"Because of our past. I started to cry because of the memories. Think about the past. Wasn't the past great?"

I try to think back to a good time with Ziva, but all that I can remember is her yelling at me. Her doubting me. Her unjustly losing trust in me daily.

Then, I remember the good times with Alice. The support she gave me. The laughs we shared. The smile she brightened my day with. I think that it finally hit me that I will never see that face or hear that voice ever again. That I will never see the woman that I love ever again.

The past with Alice was so beautiful.

"Yes," I answer, referring to my past with Alice, instead of with Ziva.

Ziva sighs in relief.

"Exactly. I, I made a mistake. A huge mistake that I regret. Just, let's forget. Just remember the past. I can make that amazing past come back, if you just put. The gun. Down."

My world grows cold.

I'll never have Alice back, because of Ziva. I'm done being pushed around.

"No, you can't, Ziva. Alice is dead."

My finger twitches, and her face shows such utter horror.

Then I pull the trigger, and she drops, a big heap on the ground.

I walk over to her, and she looks at me with misery and pain in her eyes as she presses on the bullet wound in her chest.

I stare at her with some sorrow, as she silently bleeds out on the ground.

Soon, she grows limp, and looses her grip.

I know what I did. I know that it's wrong. That I shouldn't have done it, but I don't care about that anymore.

I lost sense of what's right and what's wrong long ago, all because of the pain I've endured throughout this month. Throughout my life.

Yet, something always improved me, and my strength.

Sadly, that strength was stolen.

It was stolen in the cruelest way imaginable.

Yet, that strengthened me, too.

Now, I'm stronger than I have ever been, and I probably have the best daughter ever to show for it.

A sense of justice and hope finally rushes over me with so much force.

It makes my blood run cold.

 ** _Author's note: Thank you guys so much for reading this! Honestly, I can't believe it's over. A four month project is over, and it makes me proud, and I have you all to thank. Thanks to everyone who read this. I'll post the epilogue soon._**

 ** _-Anne Tutusuvic_** h


	12. Epilogue

**_Tim's POV_**

 ** _Tim's Apartment_**

It's been a week since Ziva died. Her records say that she committed suicide, but we all know better. We know that Tony killed her. He told us.

We support him all the way, if I'm being completely honest.

In this week, life has been both falling apart, and also back into place.

Erin permanently moved in with Tony, and Tony is trying to adopt her.

Speaking of Tony, his conversation with me has been haunting, yet reassuring me, at the same time.

I've decided something about the person that I thought I loved more than anything. The one that I was sure that I was going to marry and have kids with. Who I was sure was going to support me for the rest of our lives.

I learned that I absolutely hate Abby.

She betrayed me, and she hurt me. It was all of the sudden. I have no sympathy, respect, or love for her.

What I love is the memory.

Tony saved me again. Saved me from pain.

He is the big brother Tony told me about, and I wouldn't want it any different. Yes, he teases me, and yes, he can take it a bit far, but wow does he love me.

And wow, do I love him.

I remember all of the reassurance he gave me. When Kate died, yes he did try to make himself better, but come to think of it, it seemed that MY feelings were his priority. His best friend, his sister, died right in front of him. The warm blood coated his face, and he only acted nicely toward me.

I think that with Kate's death, he realized how much he cared for me, and the love and protection just followed.

Tony shouldn't be going through all of this.

My attention turns back to Alice.

From minute one, her primary concern was to help us. I know now why she went straight to Ziva. Not only was it the most logical explanation, but it was possibly meant to protect us. We had just lost a brother. We couldn't lose a father, too. Not Gibbs. Not then. Not ever.

Alice lost her mother and baby sister, Shelby, in the same year. She knows what its like to lose the most important people in the world to you with little time in between.

She tried so hard to protect us, and it worked.

I realize then that I never thanked her for what she did in the little time we knew her. Not only was she one of the main causes of Ziva's death, but she also protected us.

I want so badly to thank her.

If only she were alive so that I could.

With that, I realize just how much I love the people who care about me.

Gibbs, Ducky, Palmer...

Tony.

With a sudden need to see Tony, I race out my apartment, setting my brain-GPS to Tony's apartment.

 ** _Tony's POV_**

 ** _Tony's Apartment_**

"Erin, c'mon. We've gotta look at the apartments!" I yell.

I frown at the apartment. So many memories.

It saddens me, because I decided that since I have a daughter now, its time to relocate. Just, to a different apartment. I hope to stay in the same building and everything.

I'm just getting a more, child friendly place to call home. One with two bedrooms.

Realizing that Erin is taking a while, I go into Erin's "room" aka, I hate to say it, the closet, to see what she's doing.

"Her, Er. What ya' doing?" I ask her.

She looks up from her suitcase with guilt in her eyes, and she holds up a DVD.

"Mommy told me to give this to you if she wasn't able to. She told me that right before she left. I guess that she knew that she was on danger," She answers.

I take it from her, and she looks down at the floor.

"I'm sorry To- Daddy."

I smile. She's been trying to get into the habit of calling me "daddy," not Tony."

"Aww. It's alright, kid. If my mom gave me a DVD and told me to give it to some strange friend of hers, the DVD would be the last thing on my mind," I answer.

She smiles at me sadly.

"You aren't some stranger. You were mommy's best friend, and now you're my dad. Thank you."

I smile and nod.

"No problem, kid. I'm happy to have you here."

I walk over to the living room and pop the DVD in the DVD player.

"Still can't believe that you decided to pack the TV and DVD player last," Erin tells me, laughing.

I smile and shrug.

"Well, you know me. I was thinking, 'hey maybe we can squeeze a little Terminator 2 into the packing. Movie night with my little girl.' You can't say that that's out of character for me."

Erin smiles.

"Very true."

I smile back at her and nod to the couch, silently asking her to sit down. She obeys, I press play, then sit right next to her.

On the TV is Alice. She adjusts what I'm guessing is the camera, and takes a deep breath.

As she does, I just stare. She looked exactly like she did that last night. Her hair brought to one side, held there with, uh, Bobby Pins, I believe they're called. She had makeup on. Not to much, though. With that, a simple little dress.

I snap out of my trance, and she begins to speak.

"Hey, Tony. If you're watching this, then something happened. If so, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry. For everything. For leaving you for Nick when we were kids. For all the pain I caused you. I know that I did wrong things outside of that tine, and I'm so sorry," she starts.

I stare at the screen and let a tear fall. This is it. Her final goodbye.

"I love you, Tony." She looks behind her, at the door, to make sure it's closed and locked, then she looks back at the screen, with a serious and sympathetic look in her eye.

"But that isn't what this DVD is for. After I picked you up at your mom's gravesite, I was determined. I needed to give you and I closure. So, when I dropped you off, I went to the FBI and I did some digging, and I found what I was looking for. Tony, I know who killed your mother."

My eyes sided, and she shows a picture of a scraggly looking foreign dude. Looks like he's from... uh...

I gasp.

Israel. Has a Ziva David resemblance.

"He look familiar? Well, he should. His name is Ziv David. Ziv. Not Ziva. Ziv. He was Eli David's big brother. He was Ziva's uncle, Tony." She explains.

My eyes widen.

"Ziva's mother was eight months pregnant, and they were broke. All of Ziv's friends say that Ziv would do anything for his family. Especially Eli. He looked for people in foreign countries who he could set a deal with. He found your father, and traveled to America to meet with him. They set a deal, but your dad conned every penny out of him. Ziv had also used Eli and Ziva's mother's last bit of money, sure that it would be an investment. However, like I said, your dad conned him. He was forced to stay in America since he couldn't afford the plane ride back, so in his free time, he came up with a revenge plot. He spied on you guys for a week, and he figured knew exactly when to get his revenge. The day came, and well, you know the rest," She explains.

I stare, shocked.

"See, Tony? It wasn't your fault. If it was anyone's fault other then Ziv's, it was your father's.

 ** _One Week Later…_**

With life slowly falling back into place, I finally decide to move on with my life. Let go of Ziva. Of Michael.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll be able to let go of Alice, too. The problem is, I still see her everywhere I go. I'm haunted by her.

I canceled the apartment hunting with the real estate agent last week, but we're having it today.

I hear the doorbell, and I take Erin to the door and open it.

Behind it is a REAL hot woman, with no ring on her finger.

"Hello, I'm Marie. I'll be your real estate agent," she tells me as she smiles.

I smile my DiNozzo smile.

We'll be alright.

 ** _AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! That's it. Thank you guys so much for reading this and staying with me all this time. I can't put into words my appreciation. I'll start with the series ASAP. You guys are great. Thank you._**

 ** _-Anne Tutusuvich_**


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